The Serenade of Winter
by blu3slush
Summary: When you promise to meet someone who helped you again one day, do you? Even after eight years when you have begun to lead a new life and someone you once met from your past has found you, this time needing your help.
1. Prelude

**AN: Hi, this is Slushy with my second Death Note fanfiction. Well, I was bored and I decided to write an L x OC fanfiction because I was bored. This may or may not be a one-shot and I'll think about it if I'll continue it. That also depends on reviews… So, continuing on… Again, I was bored because I had nothing to do and I had and I have muse for Death Note as well as Naruto. I was listening a lot to Coldplay while writing this; I listen to music while writing fanfictions because if I listen to a particular song while writing stuff, it helps me write giving me muse. =3**

**So, there you go. There's the A/N, the first one I've managed to keep short for a prologue/prelude. Well, I hope you like it (don't be too mean) and flames will be used to roast marshmallows, make s'mores and to keep my hands warm. By the way, the prologue is when L is ten which will be eight years before the events of the first chapter. I will update AotAT soon, the polls had good results so you'll see Chapter Right soon =3**

**I might rewrite this chapter...**

**EDIT (18/12/12): Hey, just edited some formatting errors, grammatical errors, breaking up long sentences and I added a few sentences where stuff didn't make stuff - er, sense. I didn't change much, I thought most of this was fine as it was. :)**

**Prelude**

**ONYX'S POV**

The night is dark and uncomfortably tepid. The world is waiting impatiently for the approaching storm to begin pouring down to quench the thirsty ground. A crow perches on a stalk of grass in silence. It's regarding a drop of rain swaying the stalk forward like a loyal subject bowing to the skies. Beady eyes colored of bloody sunsets flickering like the dull moonlight shrouded by storm clouds. The world around the crow is vaguely like a room lit with a dying flame. It had been dark for so long, the sun had died only to be taken over by these ominous storm clouds.

After a few moments of complete silence, she flaps her wings and glides smoothly into her nest, the faint echo of the flaps of feathers breaking the silence once again. The crow returns to perch on her owner's shoulder, the owner is a young human female who fondly strokes the crow's head. The girl's eyes are a bright, crisp green - like green glass, or even emeralds. Her onyx plumage makes her invisible in the stormy, obscure night as she harshly caws at the sky. She wants the sun to return even though she knows it won't.

Crows were intelligent birds and could understand basic human speech, she could even mimic speech. Her owner was good to her and raised the crow as a young chick. Other human beings think the girl as being quaint and odd for having such a strange creature as a companion. The girl doesn't consider herself owning the crow and considers the crow as an acquaintance rather than a pet.

The storm is growing more violent. Lightning flashes and crackles across the skies. She perches on her owner's shoulder and waits. She has an ominous feeling that something will happen. They must survive this night and return to their home nest, they _have _to. Her instincts tell her to flee this place, never venture here again. Her owner stares straight ahead, but she's not looking at anything. Her owner's worried about something. It even worries the crow.

The crow ruffles her feathers, the static electricity crackling around her in the atmosphere. Then blindingly bright lights appear out of nowhere near what appears to be the silhouette of another car about twenty yards away. For a few moments, they remained there then they suddenly thundered close to the direction of her owner.

She perches on her owner's shoulder, watching as more and more of this alien lights appear, a pair, there another and finally three more appear beaming along the road like miniature suns. They turn away from the owner's direction and the crow relaxes. Her owner is safe. The crow chose not to watch this crescendo any more as she ignored it. Lightning crackled and split the heavens open, rain was clear to spill soon. Thunder rumbled across the sides of the world and disturbing the slumbering animals. A bolt of lightning splintered the sky in a dazzling phenomenon. There was a prolonging silence and then her owner turns to the direction of their nest.

"We're going Onyx…" The girl murmurs, walking forward into the field. Her owner then walks at her slow pace, the crow's talons grip loosely on her skin.

_Onyx's/third person POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA's POV<strong>

Onyx perches on my shoulder, people tell me that crows are disgusting and craven creatures that dwell in graveyards. I don't think so, crows are intelligent and wise creatures. Onyx calls to me softly, pecking me affectionately on the ear. I secretly dread returning home, to the home where there's nothing abuse waiting for me through the front door. My father abandoned us when I was four and my mother blames me for everything that goes wrong in her life. I've grown to stop caring, I pretend I can't feel it when she beats me. I'm eight now and I've grown out used to living with abuse even though I know it's immoral.

My mother's just deluded and lives her life in terror. She wagers all our money away on gambling and drugs. We're reduced into living in an insignificant, confined home built of decomposing wood. But I'm grateful that I have a home. I know that there's going to be no dinner again, there was no dinner last night either. We haven't had a meal in a while; I've stopped counting the days.

I go to the community school where it's free. My teachers are fond of me and I love being in school and stay there as long as I can during the day, helping my teachers after class. Though I have to return home for Onyx and then sleep. I found Onyx as a fledgling stranded on the ground three years ago and I secretly raised her in the basement. My mom knows about her, she doesn't like Onyx and often blames her for the absence of food even though my mother has no one to blame but herself.

I walk up the pathway and onto the porch. "Anna! Come here!" My mother calls out, sounding outstandingly pissed off. I swallow my dread back down and come into the house, my mother's slouching on the couch, as she always is. "Where have you been?" My mother snarls aggressively. Her sharp steely eyes glower at me, demanding an answer.

"Giving Onyx a fly… She needs to exercise…" I squeak timidly, swallowing this fear back down. My mother sniffs haughtily, and I draw back. My mother is a human being whose heart and soul are pitch black. She's heartless and cruel and fuels her desire of wagering, smoking, getting stoned and drinking by using whatever money we get as welfare. She gets up and walks over to me, then slaps me hard across the face. She's wearing a sharp ring which cuts my face. She slaps me again with the same hand and it cuts my cheek again. These slaps become punches in the chest, slashing open wounds on my body. She finally stops after a minute.

"You're pissing me off Anna. You come home at five every night, what are you up to? You conniving little cow… Are you seeking sympathy? Well, you're not getting it. I've had enough. Get out." Her mother snaps, glaring at me. I close my eyes. These insults are nothing new and my mother's kicked me out before, letting me in on a whim of kindness. Who else would cook for her and buy the groceries (whenever my mother stops gambling…)? Well this time I'm not coming back. My mother can look after herself.

I bow my head and go up to the basement, my rooms up here. I only have a few possessions which I pack in my schoolbag. I go back downstairs and bid my mother farewell in silence. "Goodbye, Mom." I mutter absently.

"Just piss off, Anna." My mother responds coldly, placing a hand on her forehead. I step out the door and shut the door behind me. Onyx is still on my shoulder.

I sigh sadly and walk down the porch steps and down onto the streets. There's no one that'll take me in and I'm probably going to end up violated and assaulted then cast off in some stream downtown. It doesn't matter though. My mother won't care. I scope the main streets and begin walking again. I'm looking for a house where I can stay for the night under a porch or something.

The rain begins hammering down but I barely feel the rain like needles of ice on my bare arms. I see the headlights of a car approaching me and the window on the driver's seat opens. It's an old man who's regarding me with gentle eyes. "Why are you on the streets at this time of night?" He asks gently, glancing at the cuts on my chest.

"I keep asking myself that question yet it remains unanswered." I reply flippantly, pretending that he can't see them. The bruises and bleeding lesions on my arms, neck and face from when I angered my mother minutes ago. I don't know how I did piss her off but she still beats me nevertheless. She doesn't need a reason, or so she believes.

"Shouldn't you be home? Your mother would be worried." The man asks, looking into my eyes. I almost laugh at this. My mother would be celebrating and having a bottle of vodka. She won't miss me at all. She hates my guts and she'd would've been ecstatic at seeing my back out the door.

"No. My mother wouldn't be worried at all; I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't plastered off wine or vodka in the moment…" I reply bitterly. I have to be brutally honest; I'll never see my mother again. I can say what I want about her now that I'm gone. But why do I feel guilty?

"Do you want a place to stay?" The man asks carefully. I want to say no and go on my way, I can't trust anyone. Onyx has nested herself in my schoolbag. She's gone to sleep.

I consider this carefully in my mind. I could have a warm, dry place to stay overnight. On the other hand, this man could be someone who wants to abduct me. I'll take my chances. "Yes, please sir." I answer flippantly. I open the car door and get in, the inside of the car is elegant and it looks like a limousine. Wait… This is a limousine. This man must be a rich man; it amazes me that such a man actually stopped to talk to me. "Thank you." I say gently, I nearly forgot my manners. I've never been that lucky but I've managed to find a place to sleep. I sit down with my backpack on my lap, Onyx is sleeping inside. For once, there is peace.

* * *

><p>We reach a mansion-like house with metal gates, it's elaborate and beautiful. The old man then opens the gates. They sweep open and he continues driving. He then parks the car and I open the car door and get out. I follow him inside the house. I'm greeted by warmth, it's not something I'm used to and it's a good feeling. "Sit down; I'll bring you something to eat." The man says calmly, going into the kitchen. I sit down on the closest sofa. A boy with tousled black hair and dark eyes enters the room.<p>

"Who's this?" His inquiry isn't rude but rather curious, it's almost like he's never seen another human being in his life. I glance away from him, my clothes are damp from the rain and I'm streaked with blood.

"This is a girl that's going to stay here for a while. You never introduced yourself… I'm Mr. Wammy." The old man introduces himself and I acknowledge his introduction with a polite nod. Blood is soaked down the side of my neck but in the moment, I barely notice let alone care.

"You'll have a warm bath after you've had a drink." Mr Wammy says gently. I don't protest, these people are kind and want to help me. I know this.

"My name's Anna… Anna Winter." I mumble shyly, I still avoid their gazes. I'm feeling ashamed that I could be in the presence of such people looking like this. The rain didn't wash away the blood and a huge stain of blood dominating my neck and right shoulder is drying on my skin. "I'm sorry that I'm troubling you. You're far too kind…" I apologize but they shrug off my apology.

The boy is given a piece of red velvet cake as he sits down on a sofa, crouching as he eats. I don't judge him, I don't think it's compassionate to judge people, every person is unique and I look away from the boy, I'm being rude by staring. "Well Anna, would you like some hot chocolate and something to eat?" Mr. Wammy asks me. Well, he offered. Why not? But... Hot chocolate… What is it? Is it good? I nod and give a small smile. I reach into my school bag without disturbing Onyx and gently take each object out and neatly stack them on the table.

I leave my spare clothes in the bag for Onyx to sleep on. My stomach growls loudly, every person in the room turns their heads in my direction. I bow my head in shame. "I'm sorry…" I apologize meekly. My stomach is acting up because I can smell food… I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten in so long. I'm worried if I eat too much, I'll get sick. My ribs are visible beneath this shirt and I've managed to hide them away.

"Don't apologize for being hungry, Anna." Mr. Wammy speaks comforting words but I still feel ashamed, I've been wasting too much of these peoples' time. It's not proper etiquette to expect a human being to give you everything you need just like that. I'm asking for too much.

The boy hasn't spoken for a while, engorged in his red velvet cake. "L, would you like anything else to eat?" Mr. Wammy addresses the boy, who nods in reply. Mr. Wammy brings me a cup of something dark brownish and it's foamy. Most importantly, it smells good. He also brought me a plate of cookies. I almost burst into tears. No one has been this kind to me.

"Yes please, can I have some strawberry shortcake?" L finally replies to Mr. Wammy who heads back into the kitchen. I look across at the boy; his eyes are dark but not the evil kind of dark, something else… They're mysterious, beautiful eyes and I despair at having green eyes. Green like emeralds, my father's eyes, the eyes my mother calls ugly and she loathes to look at them.

"Thank you. For everything… You're very kind and I'm a little overwhelmed… I promise I won't bother you for too long…" I say timidly, looking down at my knees. Both people seem confused by this, I'm going to leave and trouble them no longer. I can fend on my own as long as I can, I'm eternally grateful to these people but I can't remain under their house, my welcome is only temporary. "I insist…" I trail off, my gaze still fixed to my lap.

"…" There's a heavy silence across the room. I then pick up the cup filled with steaming hot fluid and sip at it… This… This is so good… I then take a bigger sip and down it all. It's so hot and I burn my tongue but I don't care! I put the cup down carefully and ravenously wolf down the cookies. I'm so hungry… But these cookies are amazing. Within moments, all the cookies are gone. I wipe my mouth free of crumbs and I feel great…

"L, do you mind escorting Anna to the bathroom?" Mr. Wammy asks the boy, who's occupied with his strawberry shortcake. L? Is this the boy's name? What a strange name. He appears to have eaten the strawberry shortcake also. He gets up, his spine bends over, slightly hunched. I follow him down the hall and into the bathroom. It's a large bathroom, it has a bath and a separate shower, a towel rack and a basin.

L rolls up his sleeves. L then rotates the tap handles, water gushes out of one of the taps as he holds his hand under the water. He turns it a little more and then he appears to be satisfied with the temperature. Once the bath is full enough, he turns off the taps. He gets a tea towel and dips it in the water, wringing it so it's not soaking wet. "Anna, come here please." L asks politely, gesturing for me to sit. I sit down on the side of the bath and he gently dabs away at my neck, wiping away the blood. He turn gently turns my head so I'm facing him and wipes my face. "Hmmmm…" He puts the bloodsoaked cloth down and then he goes over to the basin and opens the drawers underneath. He opens the drawers and he reaches in and takes out a bottle of Savlon, cotton buds, thread and a needle. Are the gashes really that deep…?

He returns and he soaks a cotton bud with Savlon. He gently swabs, it stings and I wince but he doesn't pull away. "Ah!" I cry, wanting to pull away. That hurts...

"Try to stay still…" He asks gently and I comply. I turn my gaze away from him, moments later, I feel a needle threading through my skin. It doesn't hurt too badly. I know he isn't hurting me deliberately. He's helping me. I then feel the threads being tied up securely to keep the wound closed. He stitches a few gashes on my face and he continues cleaning up. Once he's done, he packs everything back under the basin.

"Thank you L." I reply gratefully, glancing at him and smiling a little. He looks at me for a moment and just smiles slightly. He doesn't reply but that smile is enough to make me happy. He then leaves the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. I strip off and step into the water. It's quite hot but the heat is soothing and it feels good. I sit down and wallow there, rinsing my hair.

After a while, I get out and wrap a towel around myself and then open the door and look for someone. L and Mr. Wammy come down the hall with my rucksack and some pajamas. "You'll stay in the guest room." Mr. Wammy says nonchalantly. I follow them down the hall and they open the second door on the right. There are three doors.

"Your house is nice… So big and warm…" I murmur, simply astounded. My own home didn't hold a candle to this. L goes into the room beside mine. That must be his room. Maybe he's this Mr. Wammy's grandson.

"Oh, this is one home I have. L and I live in another home with other children." Mr. Wammy replies coolly, and I restrain my jaw from gaping. He has more than one house? I wonder what L's parents are like… If his grandfather is so kind then his parents must be nice too.

I don't have much family, only my mum. And my father, wherever he is right now, maybe he's better off than me and Mom. Well, better off than Mom now. "Oh. I see…" I reply gently. All I've ever wanted was to see my father, the memories I remember him being kind and he used to hug me and tell me about the world. He read to me too, and he'd sing to me… He was an astronomer and I have his diary and star chart. He gave these to me when he left. What I'd give to see him again… "Thank you so much, you're kind to me and I'm indebted to you…" I utter meekly, the gratitude I'm feeling is overwhelming. I've never felt this much kindness before and it's an unfamiliar, uneasy feeling.

I go into the room; it is roomy and flooded by light. It has an adjoining bathroom. I can brush my teeth and then go to bed. I'll get up at dawn and leave them be. "Goodnight, Anna. Sleep well." Mr. Wammy says warmly. I bid him good night as well and he shuts the door. Onyx pokes her head out of the bag, looking at her new surroundings. She seems impressed so far. She flies out of my schoolbag and settles on the window pane. The windows are foggy so I can't see very well.

I retrieve my toothbrush from underneath my clothes and go to the bathroom. There's toothpaste in the bathroom… I forgot to bring mine… I brush my teeth carefully, and then rinse my mouth out with water. I put my toothbrush back in my bag and then I change into the bedclothes they gave me and then I scope around for some paper and a pen. I find these items and then I sit down to write notes for them.

_To you both,_

_To Mr. Wammy - Thanks for everything you've done for me, I've never received such kindness from other people and I'm immensely grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your kindness, the food you gave me was filling. I haven't eaten well in so long so I was grateful to have a good meal. Thank you for your hospitality and for looking after me._

_Anna_

_To L - I wish to repay my debt to you one day for helping me and I hope we may meet again one day. You have a kind heart and you are the kindest person I've ever met. Even if I haven't lived for long (I'm eight), I already can see that you are a good person. Thank you._

_Anna_

I write these notes with my neatest print I can muster and once I'm finished, I fold them over and leave them on my bedside table. I'll slip them under their doors later. The storm has died down to heavy rain and I settle down, Onyx will wake me up at dawn without being loud. It's early in night terms and I go to bed, cocooning myself in the blankets. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Onyx wakes me up by pecking me gently, I sluggishly awake. It's the crack of dawn. I get up and dress into fresh clothes. I pack my bag up and open the window so Onyx can fly out. Onyx flies out the window and I shut it behind her. I pick up the notes on my bedside table then I go out into the hall, slipping the notes under their doors.<p>

I go into the bathroom and retrieve my clothes. I saunter out into the living room and pick up my possessions and slip them quietly into my bag. I zip up my bag and slip out their front door. I walk down their driveway quietly, England's dawns are pleasant, there's morning dew on the grass and tree leaves. Their domain is beautiful.

I bid them one final farewell and depart on my way. I'll try to return home, if I can.

_Anna's POV ends_


	2. Chapter One

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, I thought about it and I said "Oh, what the hell, I'll continue it!" In the prelude, I was experimenting a bit with the POVs the two POVs I did was a mix of Onyx (Anna's crow) and of third person which actually was very entertaining to write. The second POV was Anna's (my OC); I think I'll do some L POV too.**

**So I got my first review not long after I posted up Serenade of Winter and I was over the moon! Thanks so much greekgweek182, I like that you like this fanfiction. And I'm very happy I got several favourites. I got my second review, thank you oniforever (Great minds think alike =3) Thanks so much guys. I hope to get some more reviews in future.**

**I'll write each POV in different formats (if Fanfiction won't freak out) so you won't get confuzzled (I make up one word a day to brighten my creativity. Though I'm not sure if I invented confuzzled first, there are many other people who may have used this word before me.) I'm going to write some L POV (he may or may not be OOC in this but I hope not because I don't like it when I make canon characters OOC. Let me know if I mess up and I'll deal with the problem ASAP.)**

**Haha anyway, disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, Watari or L (Though I wish I did own L.) or any other events or characters in Death Note, and I'll conclude that no canon characters were harmed in the making of this fanfiction. I own Onyx, Anna and several other minor characters there and there.**

**EDIT (18/12/12): Hey there! Just changed the format, fixed grammatical errors here and there and also added stuff where I saw fit. :D**

**Chapter One**

**L's POV**

The room around me is awkwardly silent, everyone in this investigation team other than Watari and I have gone home for the night. It's midnight and the other team members have been gone for hours. I stare at the laptop screen, there's an error message on the screen. Damn.

There's a case regarding a serial killer that has been killing teenagers to important political figures and the only way the murders connect is that he leaves a signature mark, a series of letters and numbers written in the victim's blood. No one in the investigation team has been able to break the code. Apparently, the letters and numbers are random and don't form any words in any existing spoken language.

A USB with a file was submitted anonymously to a local police station and no one has been able to break into the file, not even me. It's team is searching for a hacker that can help in breaking open the file, a note with the USB stated that he knew the serial killer and knew who he was planning to kill next."L, I believe I've found someone who can hack the file." Watari says coolly. I turn around to face Watari who passes me a manila folder which contains a written profile; a file report of a legendary hacker codenamed 'Esme'.

"So, who is Esme and why haven't I heard of them?" I ask flippantly, reading through the list of crimes that are laid against them. The list is two pages long. I exhale sharply through my teeth.

"This hacker's notorious for being able to hack into government and mafia databases and leaving no traces of being there. The only way they could tell it was hacked is when certain information was stolen from the database. There's no file that 'Esme can't hack and no one has ever worked out who he or she is." Watari clears his throat, and continues scanning through the file accordingly.

"And?" I ask coolly, picking up a cup of coffee from my desk.

"However, I've managed to track an IP address of a computer that 'Esme' has used on a regular basis; it's located in a residential area in Manchester. 'Esme' may have changed the IP address so it will be difficult to find her or him. It may be wise to search that suburb carefully." Watari concludes, it appears Watari's found who I'm looking for.

I glance at Watari and feel a smile form on my face. Though we must be careful, 'Esme' could be a very dangerous criminal. "Excellent. Watari, we'll dispatch a team to track Esme immediately. Meanwhile, I want you to try and get an ID on Esme. It'll be easier to find out who they are and of course, we'll find her faster." I answer, turning back to the computer screen. I'm certain Esme is a woman - Esme is the short form of 'Esmeralda', Spanish and Greek for 'emerald'.

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><p>"L, we're here." Watari announces, he parks the car on the left side of the road. It's three o'clock in the morning, the suburb is small so it'll be easy to find Esme. Watari was unable to get an ID of her. However, he's identified two possible blood relatives of Esme. A man named Christopher Walker and his sister Emily Winter. We've chosen to investigate Christopher's house first.<p>

There's a long driveway with a substandard house at the end, it's a house that's half collapsed. This looks like a good hiding place for a criminal. There's a thunderous crash and the discordant sound of shattering glass. "Where's my money?" A man howls demandingly. There's a gunshot, the door busts open and a girl bolts out the door, leaping over the fence and sprinting down the road and vanishing into the night into their neighbor's garden.A man I assume is Christopher emerges from the house brandishing a shotgun in his right and a shattered bottle in his left. "Come here you bitch!" The man screeches into the night, furious eyes searching for the girl in the murky obscurity.

He spots the girl hiding behind the fence. There are two earsplitting cracks in the air; the bullets hit the girl, once in the lower abdomen near the pelvis and the other in the girl then flees from the garden and into the dark and out of sight. She'll die of blood loss if no one finds her; they're life-threatening wounds.

He then spots us in the streetlights and cocks the gun at Watari and me. A woman emerges from the house, her grey eyes glint in the dark. "Who the hell are you?" She demands curtly, and then our backup finally arrives.

I borrowed two police officers from the local police station, Nicholas Kingsley and Robert MacDonald.

"Drop the gun and put your hands where we can see them!" Kingsley requests calmly, Christopher doesn't surrender. Neither does the woman, seemingly adamant to not lay down their arms to the hands of the police. "Please put the gun down, I'm sure we can reach a deal. Just explain what's going on." Nicholas repeats, his eyes fixed on the gun.

"Anna, that stupid girl ran off to somewhere and abandoned us. Her own flesh and blood to run off and live with her bastard father! That yellow-bellied, double-crossing and venomous woman!" The man curses to the skies with a tone as sharp as broken glass, he must be referring to the must be Christopher Walker and Emily Winter, Esme's mother and uncle. So Esme's real name is Anna Winter.

"Well, sir, it's impractical to shoot Anna because she chose to live somewhere else. She has rights to live her own life, fledglings will leave the nest when they wish. She doesn't want to live here anymore and that's her choice and hers alone. That's ridiculous that you punish her, just calm down sir." Robert cuts in defensively, they laugh at him. Their gaze is cruel and their laugh is mocking and sinister.

"You don't understand. Anna is an obstinate diminutive cow; she will not obey me even if I punish her. She's a defiant, little smartass, she's wholly shameless and she will not abide to my rules. She's home at six every night, she's up to no good, being up to unholy hours at night on that damned computer. I'll tell you, this girl is sinful. She must be punished in order to learn." Emily spits wrathfully, it then struck me.

Anna Winter… I know that name. I've met Anna before… Emerald eyes, feathery chocolate brown hair, porcelain skin, covered in cuts and bruises… Eight years ago on a stormy night, I cared for a girl who was badly wounded. She was kind and humble, and she had left the next morning, leaving behind notes expressing her gratitude. I can hardly believe that such a sweet, innocent girl could be described in such a way.

"We're taking Anna from your care. You don't have the right to an attorney for custody rights nor do you have the rights of being her caregivers anymore." Kingsley states smoothly, MacDonald nods in agreement.

"Robert, try and recover Anna, she's badly wounded." Watari requests and Smith nods, going into the garden to try and find the girl.

"Fine, take her. See if I care." Emily snarls savagely. Nicholas gawks at her, regarding her with a mixture of astonishment and disgust. Emily and Christopher disappear into the house, slamming the door behind them.

_L's POV ends_

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><p><strong>ONYX'S POV<strong>

The crow gazes at her owner who's lying hidden under a shrub, curled up in a ball. The crow can smell blood, her owner is wounded. Her feathery russet hair is disheveled, streaked and soaked in blood. Her emerald eyes are closed and her breathing is irregular and shallow. The crow has an ominous feeling that weighs her down like a stone in her belly. Her owner lived with evil people that harm her but she's never been this seriously wounded before. She perches in the branches of a white oak nearby, keeping a close watch on her owner.

Her owner then gets up, blood splatters at her feet in small puddles but she remains standing on a whim. Her owner is not weak, she will prevail and not allow herself to die. Though even the crow doubts that her owner can survive these wounds, her owner may be strong of heart but these wounds can kill. Blood spills from the side of her mouth and an arm is wrapped around her pelvis. She leaves the safety of the shrubbery and slips through the garden and over the fence onto the side of the road.

She steps out onto the road and then collapses to her knees, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Her owner's in a desperate state. Blindingly bright lights appear out of nowhere, thundering towards her owner who has managed to get back on her feet. The crow screeches a warning to her owner but she is a split second too late. Her owner is knocked onto her back, the car screeches to a halt.

A man with ruffled black hair with a disheveled appearance gets out of the car, crouching beside her owner. He gently calls to her and her owner shifts her neck, her state has worsened with further injury. The man gently scoops her owner into his arms and carries her into the car. Her owner is still breathing, she's cheated death by a mere turn of luck. The car was at a slow speed, not fast enough to kill her instantaneously.

The crow is aware she is holding her breath but refuses to take the breath every cell in her body beg for. If the crow could shed tears, she'd be doing so right at this very moment. The car door is slammed and the car rushes away into the dark, the crow takes into the air and pursues the car. She will never abandon her owner. The crow can feel her own heart racing as she desperately tries to keep up but she is exhausted and the car outpaces her, the crow plummets to the sidewalk, making an ungraceful crash landing.

With a pitiful breath, she sees the black car disappear into the night, her owner along with it. But she can't give up, she will find her owner even if she loses her life in the process. But one question remains in the crow's mind: _How could I fail?_

_Onyx/third person POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA'S POV<strong>

I can hardly feel myself breathing, the pain is excruciating, it's torture to breathe. Someone is holding onto me in their arms, another beseeching me to stay alive. I want to answer them, enlighten them of this pain but blood fills my mouth instead of words. It's suffocating me and it spills from my mouth. I'm afraid to open my eyes, frightened of what I may see.

"Anna, don't die. Just hang on, we're nearly at the ER. Just don't die." Nicholas Kingsley calls to me, my best friend's father… Why is he here, wasting his time when he could be with his family? I'm not worth it, I'm just another human being among billions of others in this world, there's nothing special about me. I try to remember why I'm here, why I'm dying here. My uncle shot me because I told him I was leaving to live with my father in London.

My uncle despised my father, telling me I was betraying my flesh and blood for some snake in the grass. I ran onto the road to try and find a way to a doctor, I've never been one to ask for help but I wanted help this time. A long time ago, two people taught me it was okay to ask for help. I can't remember their voices, names or faces but I remember what they taught me. Bringing me in and helping me, no one else had been so kind to me in my life and it shames me I can't even remember who they are.

The car stops and the person that's holding me lays me in someone else's arms. I want to cling onto them, I wanted to stay there, and I don't want to go anywhere else. I open my eyes and see a face, the man that was holding me. Not much older than me, black shadows under his eyes… The darkest, most mesmerizing eyes, tousled black hair… I know that face. But how? Where? And most importantly, who in the world is he?

I want to speak to him but I don't even have the strength to open my mouth and say something. Everything is so fast, everything's turned white. Is this what death is? White is a significant change from black but these unnerving feelings still remain, tormenting me like needles digging themselves under my skin. I can hardly hear what's going on around me and I close my eyes, "Anna! Anna! No, don't! Don't black out!" Someone calls to me frantically. But the blackness rushes up to engulf me, and I am disconnected from the world.

_Anna's POV ends_


	3. Chapter Two

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, I'm back with Chapter Two of The Serenade of Winter. First off, I'd like to note some reviewers who really made my day today. Clarence Fowl, you're awesome, thanks so much for reviewing both of my Death Note stories! And JazzieLouise, thanks so much for your review! The four reviewers that have reviewed this story have really motivated me to write! Therefore, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to oniforever, greeekgeek182, Clarence Fowl and JazzieLouise.**

**I hope you like this chapter guys! Enjoy =) (I will make you look up words in the dictionary :D, haha, maybe you'll know what they mean though. ;) )**

**EDIT (20/12/12): Hello, I've done my usual editing - formatting, grammar and all that jazz. I word counted this, and this is the longest chapter I've ever written... Originally 5,008 words... Now, more than six and a half thousand including the A/N. Wow.**

**Chapter Two**

**L's POV**

"I'm afraid I have bad news gentlemen. Miss. Winter is suffering a Class III hemorrhage in her lower abdomen. The arteries and veins around her kidneys and liver have been ruptured and she will require surgery to repair the burst arteries. Secondly, there is an abnormally high count of white blood cells indicating a very serious infection." The doctor informs us, shaking her head sadly. This is the doctor assigned to Anna.

"..." Nicholas is speechless, his eyes are shrouded with sorrow and fear.

"I've discovered the source of the infection, three large puncture lesions on her back which were laid down with a bladed weapon, probably a common kitchen knife. She's severely malnourished so her body isn't strong enough to fight off the infection on its own." The doctor says quietly, glancing down at her clipboard.

"Oh... Ummm..." Nicholas falters, he's unable to finish his sentence. The doctor glances at him sympathetically.

"She's severely underweight. She will require several antibiotic treatments to cease the infection from spreading and to kill the bacteria. Anna also needs fluid resuscitation with crystalloids and blood transfusions immediately or she will die from exsanguination." The doctor ends on a daunting note. The whole room is deathly silent; the idea of Anna dying is a bit ominous. The doctors sighs, her eyes look down to the floor. She's genuinely worried about Anna.

"Is there anything else?" Nicholas asks softly, he's shattered from this whole experience.

"There is an issue with the blood transfusions, sir. Anna's blood type is AB+. The problem with AB+ is that it won't accept any other blood type other than AB+. The stockpiles we have are inadequate for this operation and we need more AB+ as soon as possible." The doctor replies calmly, looking at Nicholas.

"Well, is there anything we can do?" Robert urges, his hands are shoved in his pockets. His brown eyes are fixed on the doctor, pleading her to give an answer.

I need to know if Anna has any relatives or if there's anyone closer to her that has the same blood type as her. She is gravely ill and needs to be treated immediately. This is a matter of life and death." The doctor replies somberly, there's a long and heavy silence.

Nicholas looks over at Anna in the operation room, chewing his bottom lip thoughtfully. "I'm a regular blood donor and my blood type is AB+. I'd be willing to donate blood to Anna. She's like a second daughter I never had, she's my girl's best friend." Nicholas replies warily, glancing to the floor. Nicholas surrenders himself to needles and pain to save Anna.

The doctor then indicates Nicholas to follow her into a cubicle shrouded by navy curtains. MacDonald goes in after the doctor and his colleague. The doctor invites Watari and I in, Nicholas probably told her to let us into the cubicle.

"Okay, I'm sure you know how it's all done..." The doctor says quietly, opening a few drawers beside Nicholas.

The doctor is preparing equipment, a hypodermic needle for extracting the blood and three blood donation bags. "They're three bags short." Nicholas explains to Watari and I. Nicholas eyes the needle with curiosity and fear shrouded in his eyes. "I'm right handed." Nicholas addresses the doctor, continuing to eye those needles apprehensively.

The doctor then rolls up Nicholas' sleeves and swabs the crook of his left elbow. She hooks up the needle to one of the blood bag with a thin, long tube. She then jabs the needle into the crook of his elbow, he flinches in pain and then relaxes. Blood extraction is painful and the pain lasts a little longer than an average influenza immunization. Nicholas puts on a brave face, the doctor carefully monitors the progress.

"So, gentlemen, Anna should be alright. There's a small chance that her body will reject the donor's blood but her body is in big trouble in the moment so I'm hoping that won't happen." The doctor says carefully, glancing down at the blood bags.

"Yeah, we all hope that." Robert replies, looking away from the blood bags. Well, to be frank, they aren't exactly the most appealing sight.

"The infected lesions are being treated as we speak. Then we'll operate on the burst blood vessels around her liver and cease the internal bleeding. Then surgically remove the bullets and she'll hopefully be good as new." The doctor says cheerfully, trying to brighten the dreary atmosphere. Anna's chances of survival have heightened significantly.

"That's good to hear..." Robert says, glancing at his partner to reassure him. Nicholas nods in response.

"She'll need several days rest at hospital to see if the surgery worked then she'll be taken home and looked after. She'll have to refrain from anything strenuous such as P.E at school and she shouldn't lift heavy objects until everything is healed up." The doctor replies coolly, removing the needle from Nicholas' arm once the last bag is filled. She places a small band-aid on the crook of his elbow.

"Will she have to come back to remove the stitches?" I ask, glancing at the doctor. She's fairly pretty - with ash blonde hair, dark grey eyes and fairly tanned skin. She's wearing an engagement ring, and a wedding ring. Judging from her accent, she's not originally from Manchester.

"No. We'll use surgical glue so she won't have to come in to have any stitches removed. I don't think she would ever want to come into a hospital again after this experience." The doctor remarks, she finishes up and seals the blood bags. "Sir, do you feel dizzy?" The doctor inquires and Nicholas shakes his head bravely, he appears to be fine as far as I can tell.

"No, not at all. But I know the procedure... I have to stay behind to make sure I'm okay." Nicholas answers confidently, it's all over for now. The doctor nods in agreement and Nicholas gets up, slightly giddy but he's standing tall and strong. He then opens the curtains and steps out, sitting down outside of the OR.

"I'll ask someone to keep an eye on you." The doctor replies cheerfully, gesturing at one of the nurses to assist Nicholas.

The doctor strides away, carrying the blood bags in one arm as she enters the OR and disappears from sight. "I could use a coffee right about now. It's going to be a long night." Nicholas sighs wearily, placing his hands on his lap.

* * *

><p>Watari has returned with the third round of coffee, it's been well over twelve hours. It's nearly half past three in the afternoon and Nicholas is fretting over Anna consistently, brooding. I don't blame him, Anna was in a grievous when I last saw her. There's a faint blood stain on the front of my shirt, it's Anna's blood. When Watari had accidentally run her over, she hadn't been thrown back. She was curled up on the ground and barely breathing, and she was on the brink of dying. I disregard the bloodstain, it can be removed by a drycleaner.<p>

Then the doctor that extracted Nicholas' blood returns, she has a relieved smile on her face. "Anna's body didn't reject the blood, the surgery's complete and she's being transferred to a ward." The doctor says breezily, I read her name tag. _Dr. Reading. _

"Can we see her?" Nicholas asks quietly, massaging the crook of his elbow. It's still aching from the blood extraction.

"Unfortunately, no. She's been heavily sedated so I suggest that you should return home and rest and see her later today when she'll be conscious. She'll be nourished by an IV drip until she's well enough to begin eating proper food." Dr. Reading replies calmly, checking her watch. A nurse passes her a cup of coffee. Dr. Reading thanks the nurse, clutching the polystyrene cup in one hand.

"Oh, I see..." Nicholas says, his voice sounds disappointed and tired. His eyelids droop. The man is exhausted.

"The surgery was a success and Anna's going to be fine; we'll monitor her health and stability over the next few days. She should be able to be discharged in a week." Dr. Reading replies warmly, well, she's definitely an optimist. Nicholas perks up and looks at the doctor, tears rimming his eyes.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to tell me that." Nicholas replies relievedly, Dr. Reading smiles warmly. Nicholas takes out a cell phone. "I better tell my daughter Saorise, she's been hysterical ever since she found out. Unfortunately, news travels fast in small suburbs." Nicholas mutters, opening the fliptop. Nicholas started punching in buttons and puts the phone to his ear.

_"Dad, please tell me she's okay!"_ There's a distraught female voice down the other line and Nicholas pauses, probably trying to work out how to calm his daughter down before telling her the news she's been waiting to her for ten agonizing hours. _"Dad!" _The distraught female voice demands Nicholas' attention.

"She's fine, petal. Just out of surgery, she's asleep right now but she's okay." Nicholas answers calmly and there's an awkward pause on the other line. "Petal? You're awfully quiet." Nicholas asks solicitously, the silence is heavy before his daughter finally answers.

_"Sorry Dad, this quadratic equations homework is from hell. My Math teacher is evil. Poor Anna, she's going to have a lot of homework when she gets back." _Saorise drones, there's the rustling of paper on the other line.

Anna's not going to be returning to school until this case has been solved which is an indefinite span of time. I have a feeling that Anna is going to despise me from keeping her away from her friends, but it is best that she's not distracted when she's working. That is, if she agrees to help me.

"Oh, don't worry petal. I'm sure that you can come visit Anna after dinner and she'll help you out if her brain isn't in meddles from all the anesthetic. Surgery is a painful business petal. She's going to be in a lot of pain when she gets up, poor sod." Nicholas doesn't say this in a joking tone, the tone is sympathetic to Anna. I can only imagine the pain of post-surgery after the anesthetics have worn off. In a way, I'll feel bad for Anna.

_"Mom says I can't, she says I have to finish my homework. Ugh. She's still mad at me because I ate Aodh's last waffle. It wasn't my fault, I didn't know it was his!"_ Saorise complains. Ah, the typical teenager ranting about her parents. Or in this case, parent. I look over at the OR doors as they wheel Anna out. She's attached to an IV drip and she looks blissful lying back on the wheeled hospital bed. Though, she is high off sedatives.

"Ah, don't worry petal. I'll talk to her, but there's someone else I have to ask petal. They paid for Anna's surgery and are looking after her. Be right back." Nicholas reassures her lightly. He covers the phone speaker and looks at Watari, "Would my daughter be able to see Anna?" Nicholas whispers quietly. He's asking our approval? How respectful.

"Of course, but the visit has to be relatively short, of course, L needs to speak to Anna of very urgent matters." Watari answers Nicholas' question. Nicholas nods, he understands. I recruited him as a member of the task force of this case.

His superiors told me he was a skilled detective and that he had great perception, being able to identify even the smallest clue at a crime scene. Anna however will be more difficult to recruit. Because I have no idea of how she'll take all this information in.

"Okay. Thank you." Nicholas replies gratefully, returning to his phone call.

"L, we'll return in a few hours to speak to Anna." Watari murmurs. I look over at Watari and nod, acknowledging Watari's request. The sedative will take a few hours to wear off anyway.

_L's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA'S POV<strong>

I awake in a white room, so blindingly white, it's almost like the entire room is composed of bleach. Certainly smells like it's composed of bleach. My senses are somewhat dulled. It's similar to having a concussion, the same feeling of nausea and dizziness is here plaguing me like a swarm of flies. Everything around me is blurred and I blink to attempt to clear my vision. That same man from before... That man that held me in the car, is crouching on a chair next to me watching me silently with gentle eyes. My body was covered with several blankets, the weight is unbearable.

I'm surrounded by light and I close my eyes for a few sweet seconds of relief from the intensity. But I open them again, scared that I'll dwell again in that darkness, if I keep my eyes closed. "You are finally awake Anna. Good morning. Do you feel well?" The man asks politely, sipping at the cup of coffee in his right hand. My hearing is somewhat better than my sense of sight and touch.

"How do you know my name? I didn't tell you my name." I replied warily, staring at my surroundings. I look at the figure hunched next to me.

He has really tousled black hair that was darker than even Onyx's feathers. The bangs scatter off randomly in different directions, it's fairly sideswept. Strands of his hait fell over the side of his face, his eyes were dark and were emphasized by bruise-like bags. This boy takes the term of insomniac on a whole new level. His clothes are several sizes too big for him and disguise the slim, lean body underneath.

Then the first wave of pain topples me back onto the mattress, I wrap my arms around my stomach, agony washes over me, I'm drowning in a sea of sharp and unmerciful pain. I grit my teeth and struggle not to cry, it hurts... I bite down on my lip and draw blood, but frankly, I couldn't care less right now.

"That doesn't matter, Anna..." The man replies calmly. I want to pretend that I'm not feeling like my insides are being crushed but it's not easily to control facial expressions. "Do you want me to call the nurse? She can administer a dose of morphine for the pain." He asks gently, being rather solicitous. I shake my head and close my eyes, I'm trying not to think about the pain.

"Where am I? What happened to me?" I ask quietly. I lifted my hand fractionally off my stomach, there's some kind of wire stuck in my elbow. Good God, what happened to me last night? Where's Onyx? Onyx... ONYX! A wave of panic surges over me, Onyx... Oh no, I left her behind! I then burst into tears, this wall I've built to keep all my emotions out comes crashing down.

"Anna, calm down." The man says gently, setting his coffee aside. I turn away from him, I can't get a grip on myself.

"I don't know why I'm here, why am I here?" I ask repeatedly in a distraught voice, the paranoia is all I can think about. A second wave of pain washes over me and I grimace, hoping it'll go away. But it doesn't. I sit up and curl my legs beneath me so I'm kneeling, it hurts slightly less than lying down believe it or not.

"Anna, you nearly died last night, you're at North Manchester General Hospital." The man replies candidly, sipping at his coffee. What? I can hardly believe what I heard... Then everything comes back in a rush, enveloping me in fragmented memories.

The loud sounds of gunshots in my ears, the blood, the pain... I hid behind the fence and saw the four strangers that protected me, my uncle wanted to kill me. He thought I stole his money to go and live with my father in London, he thought I betrayed them. I swear by my life I didn't steal anything.

"Damn it..." I mumble inaudibly, glancing at the IV drip beside my bed. Well, I guess he wasn't lying.

"I want you to try and tell me what happened last night and why it happened. Can you do that for me Anna?" The man asks quietly, setting the empty cup down. I shake my hand, trying to figure out a way to relieve this unbearable pain. I can't be in that drug-composed darkness again.

"I can't... My uncle will kill me if I tell anyone what happens in our house... He said he'd kill me... I don't want to die, please don't ask me..." I plead, staring at him. I want to help, but I can't. The third wave of pain crashes over me, it feels like someone's ripping out my insides.

The man looks at me, then he holds my left hand. He gently pulls me into an all-encompassing comforting hug. I widen my eyes in shock and try to pull away but I resign myself to the hug. I'm a little daunted by this because my uncle never lets me talk to boys and says that no boy is allowed to touch me otherwise he'd kill both of us. The hug is comforting, he must know that I'm in pain and probably confused on why I'm rejecting morphine.

The man then releases me after a few minutes and I settle back down on the hospital bed. A hug was just enough to make everything feel better. "It's fine Anna, we took you away from them, they'll never hurt you again." He replies calmly, staring straight at me. Why is a stranger being so kind? He doesn't even know who I am yet he's treating me so kindly. Why?

"Why are you helping me?" I ask quietly, glancing at him. He doesn't answer my question, but he smiles slightly.

"Anna, I'm not going to force you to answer because this event I can only imagine was traumatizing for you." He says, trying to comfort me. A fourth wave of pain strikes me and I struggle not to cry.

"No, I'll tell you... I... My mom and uncle laid down some rules eight years ago... My mother kicked me out of our home once when I was eight and I came back because I didn't have a choice. I didn't want to barge into someone else's house because that isn't fair for me to expect them to take me on board." I babble, forcing myself to answer. I can't chicken out. I gulp down nervously, trying to push this fear down and out of focus.

"Okay... What happened then?" The man asks calmly, his gaze fixed on me.

"When I came back a few days later, my uncle had moved in with my mom and they said I could only come back if I obeyed some rules." I say, gritting my teeth. The pain is driving me mad. The boy looks at me, his dark eyes hold fascination and silently tell me to go on.

"So, tell me about these rules, I assume they were the reason why your uncle tried to kill you." I nod, everything in my mind is piecing together. I had broken several rules that day and my uncle found out and he brought down his wrath on me when I came home. I hadn't expected much when I came home, praying to every deity there was that nothing would happen. But I've never really been that lucky.

"The first rule was that I wasn't allowed to leave the house unless I was going to school or out to get the groceries every Friday, and I had to get permission to go anywhere and I had a five p.m daily curfew." I reply cautiously. Why am I telling this to someone I hardly know? Someone whose name I don't even know?

"What were the other rules?" He asked, he seemed interested. He takes a candy bar from his pocket and meticulously unwraps it. He gestures for me to keep talking. God, why am I spilling my guts?

"The second rule was that without question, I had to do what I was told. Thirdly, I wasn't allowed to associate with boys at all. The final rule was that I was forbidden of telling anyone about anything that happens in the house good or bad." I reply bitterly, feeling sick to my stomach. Why did I subject myself to that for eight years? How was I stupid enough to agree?

"What happened if you broke the rules?" He asks me the question I've been dreading for this entire conversation. I look down to my hands, thinking. Should I answer this? I grit my teeth and choose to continue.

"Finally, if I disobeyed any of the first three rules, they'd kick me out, starve me or beat me. If I disobeyed the fourth rule, they'd kill me." I utter out, finding it hard to form these words. Only on a split moment of courage. There's a strange, bitter taste in my mouth and I swallow it back down, shuddering in slight disgust.

"I see..." The man answers quietly, there's no emotion on his face. It's disconcerting not knowing what he's thinking.

"I was desperate so I accepted the rules, now I have no idea what was going through my mind and if I had the chance to change my eight year old mind, I would've said no and gone to find somewhere else to live but I was a stupid girl." I finally finish in a bittersweet tone, I had resigned myself to a world of pain back then. I was blissfully unaware of the future I was in for.

The man looks at me, I can't tell what he's thinking or how he's feeling, he's a master at poker facing. If only I could be like him. I had broken broken the third and fourth rules by speaking to this man. But I believed him when he told me they wouldn't hurt me. Nevertheless, this fear like a stone in my stomach keeps my courage weighed down.

The pain is almost unbearable and I can't stand it, it's killing me from the inside. The pain's enough to drive me to insanity. "So, you've told me about 'the rules' in your house. To clarify, which rule or rules did you break to have yourself nearly killed as punishment?" The man asks calmly, taking a bite out of his candy bar.

I think for a moment, I know I must've broken the fourth rule but something at the back of my mind is telling me that several rules had been broken that day. I then remember I had broken three rules, a very severe punishment was brought down on me as consequence. I fear that my uncle will come to the school when this guy and his colleagues leave and finish me off.

"I had broken the first rule that week, arriving home an hour late at home for the whole week. I tried to tell them that I was helping Saorise out after school at the library but my uncle has no reason." I stutter, closing my eyes and opening them again. My uncle is never reasonable. That's what makes him Christopher Walker.

"Did you break any others?" The man asks somberly, taking another bite out of his candy bar. I look away. I can't torture myself by looking at food.

"I had broken the third rule when this boy called Pierre started hanging out with me and Saorise. He seemed like a nice boy so I talked to him and my uncle worked that out too. He saw me talking to him by the school gates." I speak quietly, trying to recall everything but it was difficult with the last of the sedatives making everything foggy. I shake my head sorrowfully, oh, how foolish I had been.

"Go on, I'm listening." He replies flippantly, tucking away the empty wrapper in his jeans pocket. He glances at me, waiting for me to continue. With reluctance, I do.

"I had broken the fourth rule when I told Pierre I couldn't talk to him anymore. Pierre asked why and I'm not the type to lie so I told him. Only now do I see that was a fatal mistake that almost cost my life." I answer honestly, cursing myself in silence for my foolishness. I forced myself to answer for the sake of my sanity.

The pain steadily becomes worse and I whimper, silently hoping that this'll go away. If my uncle were here, he'd be killing this guy. I can only imagine if Pierre's okay, I can't protect Pierre, I'm stuck in a hospital at least ten miles away. But I'll do what I can to protect this man after all he's done for me.

"What happened after that Anna?" The man asks. I can only imagine that this wasn't what this man was expecting. He's behaving just like a detective, yet he possesses no badge... He's good enough to outsmart any detective in his path.

I know that I have to continue with this story, it's not enough to tell the truth after he apparently his colleague paid for my operation. There was no way I could afford my surgery because I don't have insurance so I would've been past my head in debt for the rest of my life. I owe this man and his colleagues so much for helping me when I've done nothing for them.

* * *

><p>After thinking carefully for five minutes, pondering whether or not to put my neck on the chopping block for this boy. I've already said enough to expect my death will arrive soon. Saying anymore is consigning myself to a death wish. But I want to tell this boy, I should just stop cowering and answer him. I'd be helping Mr. Kingsley too, he's a detective and by telling this, he's helping me. Pierre's dad is here too, Mr. Macdonald... Why can't I just talk and help? Summoning up all the courage I can muster, I finally decide to speak up. Even if it kills me.<p>

"When I came home last night after helping Saorise at the library, I wanted out. My mother had been controlling me for twelve years and Pierre told me that I should take flight." I reply flippantly, my newfound courage helping me to say the words I would never say otherwise.

"So, what did you do?" He asks casually, chewing on the end of his thumb. His toes wriggle, and only now have I noticed the weird posture he's sitting in. I could swear I've seen someone who sits like that before.

"I had gotten in contact with my Dad six years ago and Pierre lent me some money and I talked to him on a payphone. My Dad rustled up a booking and I was planning to fly to London at six the next day. I would be on that plane right now." I say calmly, shaking my head slowly. If only it were that simple. I can't escape from my mother forever, I've tried so many times and all ended in failure and severe beatings.

"Go on." The boy murmurs. He gestures and I take a deep breath. These memories are painful, but I have to remember them.

"He faxed the flight booking details to a nearby flight booking company and I collected it and it has in my pocket. I got home and I hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome but I definitely didn't expect my uncle to be that angry when I got home at six, an hour late." I admitted reluctantly, my hands clasp together. I wish I could forget everything, but I have been cursed with good memory, I'm never going to be able to forget any of this.

"Okay, tell me about that." The man asked quietly, his toes ceased wriggling. I eye him warily, this is suicide.

"He searched my pockets and saw the flight details and accused me of stealing his money. I tried to explain but... For hours it went on... Even if I tried to run, he always got there first, and he had some sort of weapon in his hand, a glass bottle, a knife..." I trailed off timidly, wincing at the sudden pang of pain I was feeling in my abdomen. "I managed to barricade myself in the kitchen, my mother had been out and came back at two in the morning and I had to lock every door in the kitchen." I reply quietly, I could remember I could even hear my heart beating in my ears. I had never been more scared in my whole life.

"..." The man doesn't speak, he takes another candy bar out of his pocket and unwraps it. He gestures for me to continue with the recount.

The memories are thick and engulfing, they envelop me and trap me into a cage. A cage of my own making. "But my uncle got an axe and I knew that I was going to die. I got out the other door while my uncle was hacking at the other door and ran for the other door. My mom got the gun and... I think you know from there." I say softly, chewing on my lip nervously. I stare down at my clasped hands. He nods in agreement, I've condemned myself to death telling him this.

I'm on a one-way ticket on the highway to Hell. I can only hope that it's better than home. "Anna, I appreciate you telling me this. However, that's not why I'm here." The man says bluntly, shoving the wrapper into his pocket.

I'm confused. "Then WHY are you here?" I ask, then it strikes me. It's true that I'm not exactly an innocent angel. I got a laptop for Christmas from my dad when I was ten and I was curious. I gave up doing it a little while ago because I thought that doing something illegal for the sake of freedom was wrong.I'm going to leave my unlawful life behind and try to start anew.

"You must know why I'm here now." He says gently. I nod sadly and his arm drapes around my shoulder, he's going to take me to prison. And it serves me right. "Normally in this case Anna, you would be brought into the court of law and most likely be fined or serve a sentence in jail. However, there is a case and I require a hacker with exceptional skill. You are 'Esme', aren't you Anna?" He says somberly, so he knows it all.

Learning how to hack wasn't easy but it's easy to become a master if you know what you're doing. Soon enough, instead of hacking programs I moved on to databases. I then realized what I was doing was illegal but it was the only thing I could do that my uncle didn't know about, that small patch of freedom in my cage.

"Look, I can't help you. I've retired from hacking, it's immoral and illegal, I've learned that. If computers hadn't made hacking a small place of freedom for me, I would've never involved myself in that matter." I reply quickly, glancing away from him. "Hacking is a useful skill to have, no question or doubt about that, but it's dangerous. I've messed with dangerous people and placed myself in a game with no rules and the death rate being high. I had my neck on the chopping block and I'm not doing that again. I'm sorry." I say apologetically, still avoiding his gaze. The mafia aren't pleasant to deal with or hide from and hacking is not a good business.

I haven't managed to enjoy the pleasantries of a good life being born into this family and I've faced Death and got away with it. I don't want to live my life as a degenerate. "Your argument is intriguing, go on." He replies quietly, giving me his full attention.

Something deep in my memories stirs, like a sleeping dragon that's slumbered for centuries. I'm sure I've seen this face before, but where? In what circumstances? I know that face, I've heard his voice somewhere before. Not quite the same but it's similar. I've seen this man before, he seems to know me yet I don't know him. I'm still in so much pain but I'll try to bear with it.

"Secondly, I'm not obligated to help you; this has nothing to do with me and I should mind my own business. At least I think it has nothing to do with me, it's a high probability I'm not involved because you have asked me to become involved." " I reply, I take a breath and try to think. This has nothing to do with me. Why should I get involved? But, I owe him. So, what do I do?

"Your third point?" He asks in a mocking tone, taking another bite of his candy bar. He's clearly amused by my argument. Well, I'll argue to please and then thrash him with my 'flawless' third point.

"Thirdly, if I decide to work with you, I need to know if I'm going to be secure. Living in a dangerous household and living in a living replica of hell taught me that I'm a chess piece in the world, I could be a pawn, a rook, even a queen if I was. I need security and a living space where I'm going to have space and safety to live out my life." I protest, lifting my hands and shifting them to my sides. There's no way in hell that I'm going back there, and even less of a chance I'll bunk with anyone else.

He wants me to help him with this but I can't help him if I have gaps in my life that keep my hands bound. I'm a caged bird and these are my cage bars. I exhale longingly, perhaps this is the freedom I've sought after for so long. By sheer luck, someone had found me and saved me. "And your final point?" He queries casually, chewing on the last of his candy bar.

"And furthermore, I have the most important examination in my life next week and I can't skip out on that. School grades will decide where I'll go for university and it'll decide where I'll work. This is my argument and unless you have a brilliant riposte, then I can't help you." I finish freely, leaning back against my pillows. I look at him, telling him that I want to help him but he'll have to help set me free from this life I built for myself to live.

"I'll admit your argument is convincing Anna, you're good at debating. However, your argument isn't convincing enough. If I didn't require your help Anna, you'd probably be serving a sentence in jail as we speak." The man replies simply, leaning forward slightly so he balances on the balls of his feet. "If you help me with this case, I'll dismiss the charges against you and I'll ensure that you are well protected while working. Secondly, you _are_ obligated to help me because you owe me a favor Anna. In fact, you owe me two." The man speaks calmly, he has a slight smirk on his face. I have to admit that's a good riposte.

I have no idea what I'll do, or how I can escape from this. He's tricked me into thinking that I've won this argument. He set up his argument from the start. I can't escape from this tangled web. Then it struck me; that stormy night eight years ago.

I know him, this man was that boy, the boy that looked after me. His name, what was his name? "Touché, L. Alright, I'll help you." I reluctantly reply, glancing down the hall. I have no choice. The nurse walks in with some vial of pills and a glass of water on a tray. I cling onto L, slightly paranoid of those pills. "What are those?" I ask quietly. I eye the pills suspiciously, what are they? I pray they're not sedatives, because I don't want to go back to sleep. "Please, tell me those aren't sedatives." I plead, edging away from the pills as if they're poison. The nurse smiles apologetically.

"I'm afraid they are. You're in a lot of pain Anna, you need some rest." The nurse replies gently. I shake my head and the nurse sits down to the other side of me. "If you don't want the sedatives, at least take some morphine. It's not fair to expect yourself to live with that pain." The nurse asks quietly. She looks at me, expecting some kind of answer. I nod reluctantly, I'll accept the morphine. "Alright, I'll administer some morphine. You're brave Anna, I admire you." The nurse says cheerfully, a slight smile on her face. Brave?

My thoughts return to Onyx, she's all those miles away from me. This bond between us is so deeper, deeper than blood. To think I left her behind like that and abandoned her. A tear slips down my cheek. God, I miss you Onyx.

_Anna's POV ends_


	4. Chapter Three

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, I'm back with Chapter Three ^.^  
>Thanks again to oniforever, JazzieLouise and Una Feltheart for reviewing again! You guys made my day!<br>So, without further ado, I give you Chapter Three!  
>Enjoy my lovelies!<br>(Please feel free to review if you like.)**

**EDIT (20/12/12): Hey, just did some little corrections here and there, nothing major.**

**Chapter Three**

**ONYX POV**

The crow gazes at the road where she last saw her owner. She vanished into the night in a black car, she had been hit by a car and the crow knew that she would've died if she hadn't been taken away to be healed. The crow can smell faint traces of blood, there's smears of her owner's blood on the road from the previous night. The crow's heart aches, she misses her owner terribly and prays that her owner is still alive. The crow was a daughter of nature and her owner of mankind but they had a bond deeper than blood.

The crow looks over at her owner's nest, the house is bound by planks of rotting wood but amazingly, it still stands. In the distance, the field of reeds is dry from the summer, there's been a drought that's been killing all the reeds. The crow loves flying around that field at dusk, her own nest is located in a peach tree at the far east side of the field. She hasn't seen any other crows for a long time, any that venture her are shot and killed for being pests. Humans regard crows as ghastly and dark creatures, dwelling in graveyards to seek a chance to eat the flesh of dead human beings. But that is a myth.

Crows prefer to eat fresh meat such as smaller creatures like birds, mice and the occasional shrew. The crow has barely survived the guns of human beings, her owner has protected her by wrapping a neon blue ribbon around the crow's left heel. The crow would normally be in a murder but crows are unwanted by human society so she remains alone. But she's content with her owner as company. She's not like others of her kind. They're both outcasts that have banded together into a pair.

The owner's mother steps out of the house and goes to the mailbox and plucks out a letter. The crow believes the human woman is a wretched soul, preying on her owner to satisfy her violent urges; even if the crow can't see the woman's soul, she can see that black is the color of that woman's soul. The woman tears open the letter and after a few moments, she screws it up into a ball and dumps it on the ground.

Once the woman's gone, the crow looks back at the road. She sees another crow perched on a nearby topiary, it's eyeing her with beady black eyes. It caws over to her threateningly, challenging the crow for her territory. The crow glides over to the tree, the rival crow sees it's outmatched and flies away. She's bigger and faster than the rival, easily outmatching the smaller, younger crow. She preens her feathers and contemplates. Her owner had headed north in the car, and the crow tries to think of where she may have gone.

Then the crow recalls there is a healing place a half day's flight away. It's far but the crow needs to be certain that her owner's there. She will not go another day without being at her owner's side. She then takes off and heads north, the breeze is soft and in the crow's favor. It will be a swift flight.

_Onyx/third person POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA'S POV<strong>

I look across at L, I'm curled up under thin blankets. The nurse gave me a hot water bottle to soothe my stomach if the morphine wore off prematurely. I close my eyes. My shoulder shifts slightly and I curl into a tighter ball. L came to visit me again to check up on my health. I continue resting, trying to grab one more minute of sleep. I couldn't sleep at all last night because my stomach was hurting. "Anna?" L asks softly, sitting down.

I stir in my sleep and opens my eyes slightly then close them again and turn away from the window. "Sun, go away." I exhale groggily before I roll onto my back and lean back against the headboard. I see Saorise in school uniform sitting beside me on the opposite side from L, the left. Her eyes are a sharp hazel and her blond hair is straight and cascades down her spine to the small of her back. Saorise smiles and waves a hand in my direction. "Hey, Saorise." I say then I gaze at L and grin slightly. "Hello, L." I greet L warmly. He smiles slightly when I greet him. Saorise looks across at L for a moment with an unrecognizable look in her eyes. Saorise turns her attentions back to me after a few seconds.

"What is that?" Saorise asks, looking in abhorrence at something beside me. Saorise points to a tray of food at the foot of my bed. It resembles a bowl of strawberry ice cream, the stuff of my dreams. I then reach for the bowl but find myself unable to bend over and reach it. L plucks the bowl up and hands it to me. The nurse doesn't want me moving around too much because my shoulder stitches are fragile and she wishes for me to heal properly. They couldn't put glue in my shoulders.

"It's ice cream, Saorise. I wonder what ice cream's like..." I reply nonchalantly before I pick up a plastic spoon and scoop up some ice cream. A burst of cream and fruit explodes in my mouth, it tastes so cool and sweet. "Hmmm... It's nice." I note quietly to myself to put strawberry icecream on my favorite foods list. I take another spoonful and Saorise stares at me, astounded.

"You've _never _had ice cream before?" Saorise asks me, an incredulous look on her face. I nod before I continue to eat the ice cream delicately. I haven't had real food in so long so I'm savoring it. I'm only allowed to eat food if it's soft or blenderized, according to the nurse I would be in a great deal of pain if I ate anything solid before I was fully recovered. So, I'm usually fed fruit or Jell-O. And if it's a day like today, I can have ice cream. Today is my first try of ice cream. "Have you had _chocolate_?" Saorise asks, still horrified that I have barely eaten sweets. I pause, thinking for a moment.

I swallow my mouthful of strawberry ice cream and continue thinking. I'm sure I've had chocolate before... "Once. Chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate... That was eight years ago though, I've forgotten the taste." I remark aloud, Saorise gawps at me. I shrug and carry on.

After having cold porridge for most of my life and the fruit baskets Mrs. Angel gives me on Fridays, I don't really have anything other than that. Oh yes, and plenty of greens. And cabbage. That stuff is god awful. If it wasn't food, I wouldn't eat it. Saorise's about to open her mouth to say something but it appears her tongue's tied.

Nicholas arrives and looks at Saorise, he's carrying a manila folder in his right hand, and he watches Saorise. "Petal, you have to go to school now. It's nearly seven, your mother's here to drive you back to school. She's at the east entrance. You can see Anna again tomorrow." Nicholas says gently.

"But Dad-" Saorise tries to protest but Nicholas gives her a skeptical glance and she's silenced.

"C'mon petal, school awaits." Nicholas says, his eyes reprimanding her slightly. Saorise rolls her eyes.

"'Bye Anna." She says quickly, looking rather annoyed with her father. I return the farewell in silence and Saorise rushes out of the ward in the direction of the east entrance.

"L, we've received the pictures from the crime scene. Of the letters there's-" Before Nicholas can finish his sentence, I grab the file and open it. What came over me? I was suddenly so rude! "Hey, you cheeky bugger..." Nicholas says jokingly and I smile.

"Well, well, well. It's binary Leet. My dear old adversary." I say quietly, gazing at the photos. The letters are written in blood... Well, there's no actual crime scene photos, only the ones with the writing. Nicholas looks astounded, I study the photos closely. Well, the thing about Leet is that it's relatively hard to read without succumbing to a headache. "I'll see if I can decipher it. It's a mix of binary Leet and normal Leet... Wonderful." I groan, slightly puzzled by the arrangement of the Leet. That's actually bizarre. "It's a sonnet with the traditional fourteen line iambic pentameter structure as far as I can read..." I note absently, handing the folder back. Nicholas cracks a smile at my observation.

"Well, I didn't think Anna could harm a fly let alone a megapixel. It appears I have been deceived. She's a tech junkie... It appears no one in the investigation team figured it was binary Leet. Well done." Nicholas murmurs jokingly, glancing at the photos. I search around the bedside table for some paper and a pen. Nicholas passes me a notepad and a ballpoint pen and I look at the photos.

"Oh, bugger. They're not numbered in order. Bloody hell." I sigh in exasperation. It's going to be impossible to decipher without it in the right order. Nicholas grumbles in frustration, facepalming. He then takes out a cellphone and punches in a number.

"Oh, hi-hi, yeah, hi Raymond, you forgot to number the photos in order. Our poor translator here is having a bit of trouble. Could you tell me the letters in order?" Nicholas requests calmly and there's inaudible dialogue on the other line. Nicholas then takes the notepad and scrawls down a series of letters and numbers before he hands it to me. "Thanks mate, bye." Nicholas says quickly, hanging up.

I get to work, watching the series of numbers scrawled across the page. "Well... I'm going to get a headache from this... I hate binary Leet." I mutter irately, simply peeved about this serial killer's damned code. I then look at the numbers again and I write down a line. _Another beautiful night, under these skies. _It's definitely iambic pentameter... Grrrr... I'm beginning to regret agreeing to help L. I'm supposed to be on medical leave. I start on writing down the lines to escape my fate of a terrible headache.

_To dance under these stars with you again:_  
><em>My heart is dashed apart by your sweet smile.<em>  
><em>Your heart is like a weaver of sweet fantasies<em>  
><em>My bloody Valentine, I love you so<em>  
><em>For you my dear, I would give my own soul<em>  
><em>Just to be with you again my darling<em>  
><em>But even if you have broken my heart<em>  
><em>I will still pine for your embrace, my dear<em>  
><em>Eros, your bolts are cursed, they've hit my heart.<em>  
><em>I want this floor painted crimson with blood.<em>  
><em>Scattered across this floor, the heart you never loved.<em>  
><em>You left your own soul in Death's cold embrace.<em>

"It's a sonnet. it must be addressed to an old lover of the serial killer." Nicholas says, looking at what I've written down. It's very neat and printed, because I want my writing to be legible for the case. I look across at L who eyes the poem. From what I can see from this poem is that this man's mentally unstable. Or, it could even be a woman. "Well, this bloke's not too bad at poetry. His poetry's very dark. Very, very dark." Nicholas speaks giddily, glancing at the poem again uneasily.

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV<strong>

I look down at the file, I had asked Nicholas to retrieve the photos from the crime scene for me so I could investigate them closely. But Anna already got there before me. This person is an abominable murderer, bitter over a lost love that they have turned to killing to satisfy their rage.

Dr. Reading walks down towards Anna and takes her pulse, heart rate and blood pressure as she'd done for the past two days three times a day. "Well, she's on the road to recovery. In fact, I'm confident she could go home tomorrow or the day after tomorrow if her condition remains stable." Dr. Reading states, smiling warmly at Anna. I look across at Anna, a small smile appears on her face. "So, Anna, if you are to go home tomorrow, you still can't eat solid foods for at least a week." Dr. Reading says slowly, eyeing the girl in front of her. Anna nods in reluctant agreement to the doctor's conditions.

"Thank you, Doctor." Anna murmurs gratefully, Dr. Reading smiles in response. She writes down notes on a piece of paper and clips it onto the clipboard at the foot of Anna's bed. Watari walks down the ward towards the doctor.

"So, Anna needs to be given a week's course of antibiotics after she's discharged to kill off the last legs of the infection. She can be given an optional dose of pain medication as well. Though I don't think that's needed." Dr. Reading addresses Watari, scribbling down some notes on a notepad. "She can be discharged tomorrow." Dr. Reading declares, Watari nods in acknowledgement.

It's good that Anna will be finally discharged. Watari signs a piece of paper, probably the bill for her medication. Watari and I will look after Anna as long as she wants to stay. Before anyone else can speak, there is a loud rapping on the window nearby. Then the cawing of a crow. Anna perks up, listening intently to the rapping. There's another caw and Anna gets out of bed and heads towards the window.

There's a crow perching on the outside of the window, Anna opens the window and the crow glides in and perches on her shoulder. "Onyx..." Anna croons fondly, staring intently at the bird. Onyx chirps affectionately and pecks Anna's shoulder, Anna strokes the crow's head fondly and the crow garbles and nips Anna's ear playfully. Watari stares at Anna, speechless. I think it strange that Anna has a pet crow. Though, it suits her personality.

Anna isn't an ordinary girl, being an outcast of society, so the crow makes her more different. The crow eyes me with reddish-brown eyes, watching me intently. It's almost like it's gazing right into my very soul. "Anna, what's with the crow?" Nicholas asks apprehensively, the crow then hops onto Anna's forearm.

"Didn't Saorise tell you about Onyx?" Anna replies absentmindedly, rather focused on Onyx.

Nicholas shakes his head. "No... She mentioned nothing about crows..." Nicholas replies quietly, watching the bird nervously.

Anna looks at the crow and assures Nicholas. "Onyx is a dear friend of mine. She's been with me ever since I was five. She's relatively elderly in bird terms but she's not going to leave me anytime soon." Anna replies coolly, Onyx affectionately pecks her cheek. A passing nurse stares at the crow, speechless.

"What's with the bird?" The nurse asks warily, eyeing the crow as if it's a pest. Anna shakes her head and frowns in disapproval.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, she's used to human beings. Crows aren't stupid, savage creatures. They're wise and noble creatures if you look past all the gruesome tales told about them." Anna murmurs quietly, Onyx perches on Anna's forearm for a moment. There's a vibrant blue ribbon tied around the bird's left heel. "Onyx, unfortunately, you have to go back outside. Goodbye, my friend." Anna says. She gently shakes her arm. Onyx takes off and bolts out the window, gliding towards a nearby white oak tree.

Anna shuts the window and walks back to her hospital bed and takes a pew on the side of the bed, her toes barely brush the floor. Anna's relatively petite and underweight, I can see the silhouette of ribs underneath the pajama shirt she's wearing. It appears that her caregivers neglected her and she's been malnourished for quite some time.

Dr. Reading double-checks some papers on her clipboard and passes it to Watari who signs a few more papers. Dr. Reading grins. "Good, there's all her papers done. Thank you Mr. Wammy, you don't need to sign anymore papers. That'll be all for today. You'll be back tomorrow to pick up Anna when she's been discharged." Dr. Reading says cheerfully. Watari nods and the doctor departs, probably going off to attend to other patients.

"L, Nick and I are going to head back to the station. Anna has several benefits as a hacker so she's decoded the riddle the serial killer's left. But unfortunately, it isn't really that much of a clue. It reveals the backbone of why he kills and a bit about his character but little else." Robert says, glancing at me. I nod in reply, and analyse the sonnet again. Perhaps the choice of words can reveal more about him.

Nicholas sighs exasperatedly and then glances over at Anna, before he hands her a yellow folder. "Anna, I brought you some homework if you want to get it out of the way. Saorise got your teachers to e-mail copies to me, however it's fine if you want to leave it be for now." Nicholas says casually. Anna nods and takes the papers, placing them on the bed beside her. "I bid you gentlemen farewell." Nicholas tips his invisible hat to Anna, she grins and laughs.

Nicholas saunters down the ward and through the doors and he's gone. Robert follows close behind. Anna then sits back on her bed, I can see a long incision on her abdomen, I presume that was the surgical incision from her operation.

"I didn't actually think I knew you, but I remember everything. I never actually thought I'd met you again, Mr. Wammy. And you, L." Anna says somberly, glancing between Watari and I. Anna takes a breath and clasps her hands together and sets them on her lap. "Who would've thought that I'd meet two people from my past? My life had taken such a drastic turn from when we last crossed paths and everything's changed. And you've helped me again and I haven't done anything in return..." Anna mumbles guiltily, her tenor sounds slightly pained. Anna bites her lip and glances back and forth between Watari and I.

"It's quite alright, Anna. You are helping us, there's no need to owe any favors." I reply nonchalantly, Anna's eyes widen slightly in surprise. Then she nods in acknowledgement.

"Thank you." She says gently, a slight smile on her face.

_L's POV ends_


	5. Chapter Four

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, I'm back with Chapter Four ^.^  
>I've decided to make this an extra-long chapter. Why? Because I had oodles of muse for this fanfiction (Hooray ~)<br>Thanks again to Una Feltheart: For your brilliant feedback! Thank you so much! :3  
>So, I present to you... CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

**EDIT (20/12/12): Hey there, I have fixed formatting errors, grammar and punctuation and naturally, added some more goodness in. ;)**

**Chapter Four**

**L'S POV**

Watari escorts Anna to the car, she's wearing the same ripped jeans and singlet she had been wearing the night she came to this hospital. Her pet crow is cradled in her arms, sleeping peacefully. The hospital had the clothes washed, the bloodstains are still there but remarkably faded. Watari opens the car door and she steps inside smoothly, sitting beside me. Watari shuts the door behind her and she glances out the window. There's several silvery scars criss-crossing across her skin, jagged and uneven. Her eyes are shrouded by anticipation, she's excited about something.

The crow stirs in its sleep, ruffling its feathers and nestling itself closer to Anna. Anna's shoulders are trembling slightly with excitement, she glances down at the sleeping bird and smiles. She gently strokes the crow's head and then glances over at me. Her eyes smile in place of her mouth. Watari is going to take us back to our safehouse, where most of the investigations regarding 'The Bloody Valentine Murderer' are held. The murderer was given a new nickname because of the sonnet he composed of the blood of his victims and his first kill was last Valentine's Day. Anna is deathly quiet through the entire car trip, but she's silently excited.

Watari parks the car outside the complex. He opens the car door for Anna. Anna steps out of the car and steps onto the pavement giddily, taking in all the unfamiliar scenery. All this must be new to her in a way. Onyx tears herself out of Anna's arms and flies off to roost in a nearby tree. "Oh, come on! You're abandoning me for a _tree_?" Anna protests, lifting her arms. in question. The crow garbles in reply, preening her feathers. Anna exhales exasperatedly and welcomes herself into the complex. It's nine o'clock in the evening so no one from the investigation team is still at work. I walk into the door, the safehouse is relatively basic. There's a sofa and a coffee table in the middle room. In the other room is the workplace where there are several desks lined with computers. Anna has found a box of chocolates, a team member must've left them for me. "Can I have some?" Anna asks quietly, glancing at me. I nod, those cherry chocolates? I don't mind sharing.

FIVE MINUTES LATER

"L, were you aware there was sherry in those chocolates?" Watari asks in an annoyed voice, Anna's giggling like a lunatic and saunters around the computer room. Anna then stumbles around and sits on a chair, wheeling around the room and bouncing off the desks like a pinball. It appears I forgot to check if there was fine print.

"PIERRE, I LOVE YOUR SCOTTISH ACCENT!" Anna exclaims loudly. She points at a computer. The computer doesn't respond to her outburst, and Anna appears baffled. "Why don't you answer me? Don't you love me back?" Asami asks in a genuinely hurt voice. But she is drunk. I must make a note to never give sherry chocolates to Anna again. She's confessing her love to a computer. I'm not letting her touch the rest of those chocolates... I've corrupted a minor.

"Inform the rest of the task force that Anna won't be working tomorrow." I speak to Watari, folding my arms and watching Anna. Anna then bursts out laughing and falls off the computer chair, rolling around on the floor. Drunk Anna is vaguely amusing, but that's the last time she eats sherry chocolates.

"L, you love me don't you?" Anna asks sweetly, turning in my direction. She points at me, I'm dumbfounded. Of course, Anna isn't in her right mind but still... I wasn't expecting this. Of course, Anna was of course doing strange things beforehand but this is a new stage. "Answer me!" Anna demands hotly. Anna then sits down and head-bangs against the desk. Though, hard enough to knock herself out.

* * *

><p>Anna's in the kitchen, her face contorted with pain. A protective arm is curled around her abdomen and her eyes are scrunched up. "Anna?" She doesn't respond to me, nearly bowling over onto the benchtop. "Watari!" I say, getting up to help her.<p>

Watari rushes into the kitchen, giving her a glass of water. Anna is barely responsive, but she skulls down the water. "Are you alright, Anna?" He asks solicitously. Anna nods slightly, she woke up the next morning with a terrible hangover. Well, that's how she's describing it. Her words, not mine. She tries to walk but her whole body wobbles and she gives up trying to walk. "You alright, Anna?" He asks gently, offering to help her back to the sofa.

"... I'll be fine... Please don't worry about me, Mr. Wammy. I've had worse... Actually, that's a lie. I've never been drunk before and I'm never going to touch alcohol again." Anna replies tersely, groaning loudly in pain. Using the benchtop as support, she steadily makes her way over to the sofa and collapses face down on it, curling into a ball. "Can I please have a hot water bottle? It helps... With the stomach pain." Anna asks quietly, curling tighter.

"Of course." Watari answers, going back into the kitchen. He boils some water in a kettle and leaves the room. Anna's eyes are barely open, her eyelids flutter.

"I'm sorry... You have to deal with me and my hangover... Those cherry chocolates were delicious but it gave me this to deal with afterwards. It hurts like hell... Blah." Anna whispers to me, an apologetic expression on her face. Watari returns with a blanket and an full hot water bottle. Watari hands her the blanket and she cocoons herself into it. "Thank you..." She murmurs softly.

"L, people have started to arrive. It may be best to move Anna to a private room where she can rest without being disturbed by noise or light. We'll move her when she's feeling more comfortable and in less of this state." Watari murmurs to me, glancing at Anna. I nod in agreement, staring over at Anna. "Anna?" He turns around abruptly, looking at her.

"Yes?" Anna answers feebly, craning her head towards Watari. "It's okay, I'm fine... I only need a few more minutes... Besides, it's now officially my 'job' to help with this case, isn't it? So, yeah, five more minutes will do. Thank you." Anna says flippantly, shifting slightly on the couch. I have to admit that Anna's bravery is extraordinary. Despite being in what I imagine would be a bad hangover, she's still managing to cope with it without too much complaint.

Watari hands her the hot water bottle and she accepts it gratefully, setting it in place on her lower stomach. There's gauze squares and stitches concentrated mainly on the left side of her body, starting from the side of her neck down to her collarbone. I remember that's where the gunshot wounds were. "It's fine, Anna." Watari replies warmly. Watari smiles at Anna who returns the smile, Watari leaves the room to speak to the other members of the taskforce. I'll remain with Anna to look after her, I don't want to leave her on her own. Especially with those chocolates in reach.

_L's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA'S POV<strong>

The sharp, vivid pains in my stomach dull down to a faint ache, this pain was surreal and almost unreal. It felt like someone had put my organs through a paper shredder. L had stayed in the room with me to keep an eye on me and to make sure that I won't get worse. The hot water bottle has helped significantly with the pain but it hasn't eradicated all of the pain. The sherry is starting to wear off, the pain will have one hell of a comeback and that's what I'm dreading. The blankets envelop me and keep me warm and the hot water bottle is kept pressed against my stomach by my left hand. This is so much like period pain.

L's sitting on a nearby chair, he's made himself a cup of coffee. I don't feel like drinking anything after this drunkenness episode and the doctor. I can hardly wait until I can be given the clear on solid foods. Then I have the freedom of eating and drinking whatever I like. Unfortunately, it's unfortunate that I had to go to hospital this week; I have exams approaching and I needed to study by carefully following all the lessons this week. I'm so screwed, I'm going to flunk all of my exams and probably have to repeat the year. I detest the idea of being a year behind Saorise and Pierre. I hope that Saorise copied down notes for me... Otherwise, I will fail everything.

Everyone says that I'm good enough to survive the exams but missing this week's revision lessons have damned me to the fate of failing the exams. Though the opportunity of working on a case like this is a once in a lifetime experience that could secure myself a career as a detective or a police officer. That way, I could secure myself a good life that would keep myself out of the hands of my mother and uncle. When I lived with them, my life was entirely in their hands. They took out all the frustrations of their life onto me because I was the closest object at the time they could punch the lights out of. But now that I'm free to live my own life, I can finally compose a life for myself and let myself be free.

And then this thought wanders through my mind; in English, we were studying Shakespearean plays and the main theme of some of famous ones _A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet _and_ Twelfth Night _to name a few. The main theme had been romance and love for _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and Romeo_ and Juliet_. But for _Twelfth Night_as well as love, the theme had been of mistaken identity which is common in Shakespeare's comedies. I have always wondered what love exactly is, I've barely ever experienced what love is other than when I was a small child. I can't even remember anything from that age. I don't even know what love is and I'm not sure if I've ever been loved by anyone.

Because I wasn't allowed to socialize with boys, I rarely had the opportunities other girls had like dating or relationships. Besides, I don't even know if I'd be a particularly good girlfriend to a boy anyway. "Anna, you said that you loved me, but but you said that to a computer. Sherry chocolate makes you insane, I'm never giving you sherry chocolate again." L says quietly, brooding over his coffee. I cringe - oh dear God, what else did I do? Well, I guess I platonically love computers.

_"_I was not in my right mind!" I groan in protest, clutching my sore head in my hands. L finishes his coffee, and just smiles knowingly. He's mocking me... Damn you L. Damn you, your intellect and your cuddly pandaness.

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ONYX'S POV<strong>

The crow perches on a branch of a nearby pine tree, baffled. Something about the black-haired male interests the crow. Her owner behaves strangely around him, speaking to him openly and freely. In truth, something about that male human is strange and it puzzles the crow. His sitting posture is abnormal for a human being, vaguely similar to an avian perching posture. But in fact, it's more like a hunching crouch.

He doesn't walk normally like other human beings either, he has his own unique gait. He is a strange specimen of the human race. So unlike others in the human flock, 'normal' humans behave much like sheep. There are some people, predators like wolves, outsiders like black sheep. Those are the criminals, or the so called outcasts of human society.

Anna herself is a black sheep and maybe this male is a black sheep as well. He's analytical, meticulous and calculating, his appearances are deceiving to the human eye. But not to the eyes of a child of nature. Anna is a black sheep because she's not a 'normal' human. She's damaged and broken and most importantly, she's different.

The crow remains wary of that human being even if her owner does not. Her owner seems to trust him, allowing herself to place herself undefended in his hands. Her owner has lived to be wary of other human beings yet she's dropped her guard with this one. The crow can hardly understand why her owner behaves so strangely and has no clue what on Earth her owner is doing. Though, the crow may never fully understand human beings.

Human beings are far more emotive than other animals, openly expressing feelings. There are some that cleverly disguise their emotions however they can't hide their emotions forever. Though that's just the crow's hypothetical thoughts towards human beings. Most human beings remain ignorant, thinking that animals aren't intelligent. 'Tis true that some animals are sometimes not the sharpest tools in the shed but they can think and observe human behavior. Some animals can understand human beings but human beings and animals are unlikely to ever end up feeling the same ways.

The crow accepted her owner because her owner was neither ignorant nor a fool. Her owner was aware of her surroundings and is clever in her own ways. Though her owner is not perfect, she's broken and wounded. Though one day, maybe she will finally understand. No human being is capable of being perfect, every single human is born with flaws and there are no exceptions.

The crow keeps a close eye on her owner through the window, the crow was worried about her when she had experienced an unexpected bout of insanity and now agony. What happened to her? The male's watching over Anna who's resting and is recuperating herself. Anna may be brave but she's notorious for pushing herself too hard.

Anna, truthfully, deserves a well-earned break from schooling, work and any form of menial labor. Anna then awakens from her rest and she begins speaking to the male. The crow can't hear what they're saying but from the expression hiding behind her owner' eyes, she genuinely respects that boy she's talking too. The crow has lived for a long time in this girl's company and the crow can tell that there is a vague connection between the two. The crow has seen the boy before nearly eight winters ago, remembering that he treated Anna well. This may be another human being that she can be herself with.

When with her mother and uncle, she wasn't allowed to be herself and had to be someone that she wasn't. She has another friend whom she acts herself around but not to the extent as with this boy. What about this boy interests her? Maybe it's the fact that the boy is not like other sheep in the flock. The crow may never know for sure.

_Onyx/third person POV ends_


	6. Chapter Five

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, while I'm trying to type about without chipping my long nails (I chipped my thumb-nail on this very keyboard last week and it hurt like HELL.) I painted L logos on my nails because I was bored. Secondly, my friend told me to because she said L nail-art would rock. I take her word for it... They actually are very cool. x3**

**Anyway, back to reality and this fanfiction. I made up the high-school Anna attends - because I can! (And by the way, when L was eighteen because that's how old he is in this, though I'll probably put in Kira case later, it was the late nineties, 1997 to be precise, so some bands that were popular then and some in the eighties such as the Smiths and the Stone Roses would be mentioned... You probably have no idea what I'm talking about but they are epic English bands. I love old and non-mainstream music.)**

**In this chapter, there will be PAINT!**

**Enjoy ~**

**EDIT (20/12/12): Hey, just did some little corrections here and there, nothing major. Soon, it all shall be fixed!**

**Chapter Five**

**ANNA'S POV**

I managed to sneak out of the complex while Watari was sleeping and L was busy dealing with a bunch of spam e-mails in the team's e-mail database. Courtesy of my evil, mischievous half - now I'm trying to get to school before L finds out where I am and kills me. The school has decided to set up a game of Paintball Assassin because it was voted for as a P.E activity for PE week. I'm dressed on the usual navy blue pleated skirt, white blouse and blue tie school uniform vibe. I'm wearing my black opaque tights because it's cold today and I'm wearing sepia brown combat boots. Normally, I'd wear my school shoes but they make me sound like a horse (stomp, stomp, stomp) when I'm walking in the linoleum hallways.

Combat boots are somewhat better because they don't have thick, rubber heels. Saorise got me these combat boots for when we're on the monthly field trip for the paintball team. Paintball is one of my many passions, though I've had many space-out moments when playing paintball. Namely, the incident from when I was nine. But I'm not going to go there. I've locked away my usual polite, soft-spoken self. When you're playing Paintball Assassin - trust no one. Except your partner, if you have one. Many students will fall for today's mystery prize - probably a packet of Skittles. I hope they're the Rainbow, sweet variety.

Though, I'll give the purple Skittles to Saorise - I've had Skittles before and I _hate _purple Skittles. Saorise introduced me to Skittles a little while ago, and I've grown to covet them. However, she's often used them as blackmail so I'll do her calculus homework. Calculus is the frickin' Antichrist in Math textbook form. We have made a pact to always be partners in a game of Paintball - but if there's only supposed to be one left standing, I'm going to take her down. She'd probably get me first though, I'm a big softie most of the time.

"There you are, partner. You're late - I'll explain the prize. It is a whole box of Skittle packets varied kinds. Are you in?" Saorise says quickly, eager to get in the game. My answer? Hell YES. Skittles, oh how I love you so. It's funny, I'm almost like a completely different person in Paintball mode. Though the Skittle obsession stays with me even when there are no paintballs involved. "I take by that daydream expression on your face that you mean yes." Saorise whispers quietly to me, picking up her bag. Everyone is prepping for the game, but they have no idea what they're in for.

"You're correct. I'm in. It appears Halloween came early this year. Candy galore." I reply flippantly, a smirk on my face. Saorise smirks cynically before she leads me to the gymnasium - I presume this is where the paintball guns and clips are supplied.

I never actually thought that Somerset High would allow a school-wide Paintball Assassin smack-down. I'm beginning to love school even more. Though it sucks that next year, I'll be a senior and I'll have to leave school after that year. Though college sounds promising. I'll be sure to search for a paintball club. Saorise's dreaming on attending Oxford one day - I have to make up my mind on what university I want to attend.

"By the way - you need to tell me more about this L person. Dad hasn't told me much and I'm really pissed off about that." Saorise murmurs across to me. She does look a little pissed. Oh damn, this question was unexpected though. Well, maybe I was expecting it but not this soon or in those words. "It's obvious that you like Pierre though, so, nah." Saorise says aloud, earning a little attention from classmates. Damn you! You're confusing me now, I'm not even sure if I like anyone! You're mean... "You're about as subtle as a frickin' gun, Anna." Saorise says bluntly, picking up our equipment.

"Psh, whatever. Pierre obviously likes Xavier. They're destined to be together. Pierre is obviously gay, Saorise. So, I may be as subtle as a gun, however, I'm subtle as a gun that's disguised as a mobile phone. Therefore, I am very subtle. Because, 'tis obvious that I'm not into anyone at this exact moment. L is your dad's boss, Saorise." I pick up a pair of black goggles and strap them on, gazing straight at Saorise. "And, I've just met him." I pick up my clip and strap it around my waist so it's belted. It's better than shoulder straps, believe it or not. Well, for me anyways. "And, he's _way _out of my league." I finish, holding up the paintball gun in my hands to check the weight.

"Au contraire, Anna. I disagree, in fact, I think you're way _into_ his league. Secondly, Dad told me he's not twenty yet - a very vague clue but you're old enough for him. Secondly, he's not _your _boss," Actually, Saorise... You're wrong. He is my boss... "Thirdly, Anna, you are as subtle as a gun, _not _a mobile gun-phone. End of story." Saorise replies candidly, dismissing all of my future arguments then and there. Bugger, Saorise's a brilliant debater. Though, she has won two national debating championships for juniors in a row. So, why am I surprised? "Is it true that all he eats is sweets and certain fruits such as strawberries and cherries?" Saorise asks abruptly. I nod as an answer to Saorise's question. I load my paintball gun, we're going to go our to our usual sniper place in the school - we're positive no one else knows about it, not even Pierre. Pierre and Xavier have already paired up, so I suppose it's Saorise and I.

"Well, touché. But I'm positive that I don't like anyone. L is unlike anyone I know but I barely know him. I don't even know how old he is for God's sake," I reply nonchalantly. I barely know anything about L. Saorise then loads her gun and follows me down the hallway to he direction of our sniping spot. We're keeping a close eye behind ourselves to make sure we aren't followed. "But the fact of the matter is, if I'm going to develop an infatuation with him which is most likely going to end up unrequited, I need to at least know when his birthday is, his favorite sweet confectionery and how old he is. For all we know, your Dad might've pulled your leg and L's really twenty five." I reply sarcastically and Saorise stifles a apprehensive laugh.

We head up the teacher's stairwell up to the staffroom. There's an elevator but they'd be flooded with teachers trying to hide in the staffroom from all the impending chaos. "And considering that hypothetical L would be nearly a decade my senior... I'm not even going to go there. Besides, what I really want to know is what music he listens to? Does he like The Smiths, Oasis, Radiohead, The Stone Roses and Nirvana like I do? If he doesn't like any of the above, it'd corrode my soul." I say melodramatically, shaking my head. I wonder. Does he like that kind of music?

"Hmmm... You have a good point, but my Dad said he overheard a conversation between so and so and L's assistant... What was his name, it escapes me... Watari, I think let slip L was eighteen." Saorise replied casually. Saorise's told me a vital piece of information. Interesting. So he's only two years older than me. "And oh God, The Smiths... I love them. Their lyrics are amazing. And Coldplay's cool too." Saorise says quietly. I concur, it was a new band that formed last year and I've grown to like them. Music is what forms my soul, though I dislike that it screws with my emotions.

"Alright, let's rock and roll." I say slowly, cocking my paintball gun as we move into the sniping spot.

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L's POV<strong>

I'm not particularly pleased in the moment - Anna found a way to escape from the complex and walk nearly twenty five miles to her school. She's craftier than I thought. Next time, I'll be sure to not underestimate her. We're at the school entrance, the grounds are very lovely. There's beautiful gardens and there's a large field for sports. And there's a tennis court. It's been so long since I last played tennis.

But there's something suspicious about the ominous silence. I walk further into the grounds and now it resemble an apocalyptic wasteland covered in paint. It appears there has been a serious paintball fight here. I walk into the main building and the inside resembles much of the outside. There's several students slumped on the ground and moaning in pain. "Run... Good God, just run, man!" One of them warns me with a weak voice, bolting upright.

"Oh bugger, it's the chess team. Those clever bastards." A girl moans loudly in pain, trying to get up but with no avail. I turn around slowly and see three paintball guns trained on me.

"Checkmate, bitch." The leader remarks coldly, gun trained at my chest. Hmmm... They weren't particularly subtle with their approach, and I'm in a position where I can escape. There's several angles of where to dodge rocketing paintballs.

"By the way, who are you? We've never seen you here." Another chess member asks curiously, pushing his friend's paintball gun aside. "Oh, you must be a new student here. We'll spare you this time but if we see you again, you're dead mate. Off you trot." He mutters, gesturing to his friends. The other members lifts their paintball guns up and lets me pass. I walk down the hallway, Watari's going to look for Anna at the other end of the school. Meanwhile, I take the clip and paintball gun of a student sprawled out on the ground. They don't seem to complain when I take the gun. Then I realize the student's fast asleep.

I head over to an elevator, stepping over unconscious or defeated students along the hallway. "Freeze!" A blonde girl springs out of an adjoining hallway, her gun trained on me. "Oh. Hey, I know you! You're that dude that my Dad works with. L, is it?" The girl chirps. She has a strong, rolling Irish accent, like Nicholas. This must be Nicholas' daughter, Saorise. Saorise temporarily drops her guard but there's a loud, resounding rolling noise that breaks the silence. She spins around on her heels and turns on the intruder. "Be right back." Saorise calls back to me calmly. Saorise opens a nearby locker and waits. Then a boy on roller-skates appears out of nowhere and smashes into it. He slips backwards, clutching his face. "Yep, thought it was you, Pierre." She greets the boy with her rolling Irish accent, the boy then hisses in pain.

"Jesus, Saorise, the way you greet people is bloody painful!" Pierre snaps in reply in a strong Scottish accent, rubbing his forehead as he gets up. This must be Pierre MacDonald, Robert's son. "You're lucky that I'm out of ammo otherwise you'd be 'dead' now." Pierre grumbles, Saorise punches his shoulder playfully. Pierre notices me, "Oh, hi, who're you?" He asks, rubbing the back of his neck. Saorise then smirks all-knowingly and then steps in front of Pierre. "And where the hell is Anna?" He mutters aloud, looking for any sins of the green-eyed vigilante.

"She's scheming to kick the asses of those chess team bastards. She swore vengeance for Xavier, didn't she?" Saorise replied nonchalantly. Saorise then focuses her attentions on me, folding her arms. "So, what're you doing here in the open, you silly boy? Those chess boys are pretty vicious." Saorise addresses me casually.

"Yeah, everyone thought they were harmless. Most of these poor souls in the hallway were their victims. They have an obsession for Skittles; the fabled prize. A box of Skittles. Three of them got eliminated, three are left of those tough bastards." Pierre adds on to the conversation.

Saorise twirls the paintball gun in her hand. Before I can answer them, Anna shows up out of the blue, brandishing a paintball gun. "Anna, don't-" Then suddenly Anna pulls the trigger. A paint bullet whips barely past Pierre's temple.

"Christ, Anna, are you trying to kill me?" Pierre protested. A chess boy then falls on his knees, a neon pink splotch of paint right between the eyes. Anna then raises an eyebrow and then she sees me and she freezes still as an iceblock.

"Oh hell. I'm so dead." She mutters under her breath. Then an adult walks towards them, a beaming grin plastered on his face, he's carrying a cardboard box overflowing with Skittles.

"Oh, Mr. Richardson. Hi?" Saorise greets the teacher, a puzzled expression on her face. The teacher points at Saorise and Anna and his grin widens. "Did we win?" Saorise asks excitedly. Saorise and Anna look at eachother, glee in their eyes.

"Since you two were partners and are the only ones left standing, yes, you won." Mr. Richardson replies coolly. Anna and Saorise hi-five then Anna stops dead in her tracks the instant she sees Watari. The teacher then hands them the cardboard box and walks away, Saorise counts up the Skittles and claims her portion.

Anna then exhales and offers me a packet of Skittles. The expression on her face is tense and apprehensive. "This is an offering, L. In exchange for you not killing me." Anna murmurs calmly, her gaze fixed on me. I smile and accept the Skittles. Anna is such a strange girl.

_L's POV ends_


	7. Chapter Six

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, first I'll start off with my shout-out to my reviewers.**

**oniforever, thank you for reviewing again! Yes, Skittles are extremely useful for life or death negotiations. A friend of mine asked me to do her paper, I wasn't particularly happy because I was working on my paper and was terribly busy. But she bribed me with Rainbow Skittles, so I spared her and obliged to help with her paper. And paintball is vaguely painful but insanely fun.**

**NOTICE: ****I'm going to be away for a week and a bit so I'm updating before I go away. I only have half an hour's worth of credit on a wireless modem stick so I probably won't be able to update on that timing, secondly I'm going to the beach with my family so I'd be spending loads of time with my family. But I will try to write stuff while I'm gone and update every fanfiction with a double-chapter to make up for my absence.  
><strong>  
><strong>So, with that being said, I will write away my friends.<strong>  
><strong>Feast your eyes on Chapter Six.<strong>

**EDIT (21/12/12): Hi, just fixed up some minor issues here.**

**Chapter Six**

**ANNA'S POV**

That paintball game was epic.'Twas a shame that L worked out I was missing and came to collect me from school. I was hoping I'd get to devour Skittles all day with Saorise then return in all my magnificent rainbow glory. But alas, I returned in unflattering rainbow _shame. _L hasn't killed me yet, my offering of Skittles seemed to suffice in exchange for my life.

Then is the tragic ending to an awesome day. I won't be able to escape from the complex again. And I'm not willing to walk twenty five miles to school. L eats his Skittles, avoiding my gaze. He's annoyed at me, as far as I can tell. "But... but... I didn't want to miss out on paintball!" I blurt out, crying out in infuriated passion. I love paintball, why would I miss out of a whole day of it?

L then turns to stare at me, probably surprised at my sudden outburst. He chuckles quietly and then resumes wolfing down his Skittles. L, why do you mock me so? "Anna, when we return to the complex, I would prefer it if you started working on hacking that file straightaway. This case is rather important." Mr. Wammy announces, earning my attention and I respond with a small nod.

I don't have an excuse, I'll have to do my three-minute hacking. It's my first day of work... Mr. Wammy's eyes stay fixed on the road and I glance across at L. The cardboard box is on my lap and I have a timetable of my exams next week. Saorise also gave me notes for this week. Thank God it's Friday. But two more days until exams start. God kill me now, I'm never going to survive them.

"Anna, can I have some more Skittles... Please?" L asks quietly, giving me the infamous panda eyes. L looks so adorable, and without hesitation, I surrender another Skittle packet. I have at least forty more anyway. Perhaps more. "Thank you." He murmurs, ripping open the Skittle packet and gets to work devouring Skittles. It's hard to believe L is eighteen; after all, he acts far more mature than most eighteen year old boys I know, examples being Pierre and Xavier. Speaking of Xavier, I still have to kill him.

_Flashback_

_I walk out of the dressing room, in a silver dress. It was modeled after a cupcake liner, and my hair's been spray-painted cotton-candy pink. There's a tiara made of lollipops on my head and jewellery made of Lifesavers and Lemon Drops. I look like The Lollipop King threw up all over me. "Xavier, what have you done to me? I look like a fricking cupcake." I demand furiously. I look like a delectable walking sweet shop. And I don't like it._

_"But darling, that's the idea!" Xavier replies. He pouts, watching me carefully. He has curled my hair with curlers to complete the Candyland vibe. Corkscrews curls cascade down my back and end at the bottom of my shoulder-blades. He had painted my face with peachy blush, pink lipstick and mascara. He even painted my fingernails glittery pink. This is insanity in itself._

_"Oh my, Pierre, come here and see my latest project! She's going to look fantastic for my Fabric Technology project!" Xavier announces, marching over to me. Pierre marches in and his jaw drops to the ground when he sees me._

_"Where is my friend Anna and what have you done with her?" Pierre demands sarastically. As if that helps with all the humiliation. Xavier chuckles like a mad scientist and then hands me a pair of silver stilettos studded with cachous. I stand my ground, I will not wear stilettos. The combat boots are staying on. Stilettos are too far. I've let him spray-paint my hair, torment me with make-up and make me wear a dress but the stilettos are not going within two feet of me._

_"Thanks but no thanks, Xavier, I'm not wearing those." I said firmly, crossing my arms. Xavier pouts and pleads with me, I glare at him angrily. "No." I say bluntly. Xavier then cocks his head and attempts the puppy eyes and I can't resist them. "__Fine, I'll wear them. But I'm going to throttle you if you put one more candy-related item within ten feet of me."_

_Flashback Ends_

Xavier is lucky that I'm stuck in a complex doing my new job. The day before I got shot, I volunteered to be Xavier's model for his Fabric Technology project. He failed to inform me that his theme was "Candyland" and that I was modeled after a cupcake. But I turned out more like a wedding cake. The only highlight was when I got to eat the Lifesaver and Lemon Drop candy afterwards. I'm still pissed off about the overbalance of lowlights in his project. The dress was uncomfortable and itchy and the stilettos murdered my feet.

I have a photo that Pierre gave me today which I've hidden from the prying eyes of L, but L is a detective so I thought wrong. He found it, when he reached across for another packet of Skittles. "Anna... Is this you?" L asks gently, his eyes widened. Oh boy. He holds up the photo, I'm sitting on a school chair. Xavier had made me wear a liquorice belt_, _this is why I want to kill him. Though, today I avenged his ass by destroying the chess team that "killed" him. His ass is mine to kill.

"Yeah, I know, I look like a wedding cake." I mutter. L continues gazing at the photo, then he quietly laughs. "Please don't tell anyone about that. I've already got people on my kill list and I don't want to add you to it." I mutter satirically, I may sound sarcastic but in reality, that is no joke. When I decide to get around to it, I will avenge my sanity. And of course, burn all the evidence. Though, my softiness has hindered my operations. Curses. "…Uh… I'll give you Skittles if you keep it quiet." I murmur out of Mr. Wammy's earshot. If he finds out about this, I don't know what I could bribe him with.

"How much?" L inquires, paying full attention to me. His panda eyes gaze at me, demanding answers. Damn you L! All my Skittles are going to be gone at the end of this... Waaaaaaah, and I haven't had any yet. Damnation.

"However much you want." I answer reluctantly, irritated at myself for forming this deal. There's not going to be any more Skittles in this box when this is over. "Just give me the damned photo, L." I groan, snatching the photo out of his hands and shoving it into my skirt pocket.

"I don't recall you saying anything about this nonexistent photo then," L says quietly, a faint smirk on his face. He tucks the photo away. I could have sworn that he winked at me. Then I flush deep red and turn around, laughing quietly to myself. L helps himself to the box leaving behind at least ten Skittle packets. I glance down at the remaining Skittle packets... Yes! He left me some!

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ONYX'S POV<strong>

The crow's owner has returned, she's carrying a empty cardboard box at her right hip and there are several packets of sugar indulgences stuffed in her pockets. The crow is impressed, how did her owner get her hands on those? Perhaps her friend gifted her with those? Why did the owner force the crow to stay behind? The crow missed her owner terribly, after hours of being gone, her owner had frightened the crow. And obviously, worried some others too.

There had been quite a fracas regarding the owner, several people spreading out on the grounds to search for her, calling out her name frantically. Anna, that's her name. Though her real name is Andromeda, she's mentioned to the crow that this is her deepest secret. Andromeda is a beautiful name but Anna hates her name and demands to be titled by 'Anna'. Her father named her after a constellation, being an astronomer and all. Maybe even the raven-haired stranger wouldn't know that secret.

Anna then whistles to the crow who departs from her perch to greet her. "Hello, my friend!" Anna greets the crow, the crow perches on her shoulder, pecking at her cheek affectionately. The crow's expressing her love clearly to Anna, and then Anna looks over at the raven-haired male beside her. The crow observes him carefully, unsure of him. "Onyx, staring is rude." Anna reprimanded. Onyx flicks her head away, fixing her attentions back to a peach tree on the grounds. Ever since she's left her roost, she's sure that another crow has taken it. And she's positive that this territory is owned by a murder.

She'll die without a chance to fight off a murder, despite being an older crow, her strength and speed would be a liability in such an encounter. But she'll have to endure, she won't leave her owner because of a territory. The crow's parents have long gone, fading into the wind like the winter's snow. They have passed, Nature has taken it's toll. Her siblings have passed as well, leaving behind chicks of their own.

Onyx hasn't had any chicks that have survived, only one clutch had been laid by her, her mate had gotten killed by a farmer. The crow had to try everything on her own, protecting her eggs completely solo was unnerving and she nearly starved to death. Anna had worried of her 'strange' behavior and fed her enough to survive on. Anna had barely any food for herself to live on so that was a kind and good gesture. But despite the crow's dedication, the eggs refused to hatch. After a month, the crow gave up and returned to Anna.

Anna is the crow's only family now and the crow will not surrender her to anyone. Not even to this raven-haired stranger.

_Onyx/third person POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV<strong>

Anna strode into the workplace and chose a cleared desk and retrieved a laptop that no one was using. Anna's own laptop was still at her mother's. I would have to go retrieve it eventually. "Alright, where's the USB?" Anna asks softly, rummaging around work areas for any signs of a USB. Nicholas hands over the USB, Anna switches on the computer and plugs the USB into a port, chewing her lip in anticipation. A window popped up with the USB name and she clicked on it. Then she was errored by the same problem I had faced. "Hmmmm... I see why you had issues. Luckily, it's a problem I can tackle." Anna murmurs, getting herself comfortable in her workplace. Anna then used a keyboard shortcut and opened an other window.

She started cracking the file, and then after about three minutes, the file opened. Three minute hacking. Anna really lives up to her hacker alias. There was a blank file and then words typed themselves onto the screen. _Is this L? _Anna then glances back at me, asking if she should answer representing herself. I nod in agreement, he might trust Anna more than he would trust me.

_No, I am a 'friend' of L's, to put it simply. I am E. _Anna then eyes the screen, awaiting an answer from the mystery man. He doesn't reply for a few minutes, then Anna begins to get impatient. _Are you still there?_

_Yes. My name is Y. That's all you need to know for now. The serial killer you are looking for... Forget about pursuing her._ The rest of the team then crowd around behind Anna, who just watches the screen. There's no emotion on her face, she's not afraid of this person, whoever they are. Y, as they called themselves.

_Y, I'm not afraid of some crazed murderer. She doesn't scare me; I have stared Death in the face and lived. This serial killer is foolish and naïve if she believes she is unbeatable._ Anna then sits back and observes, she's trying to trick the person into revealing the person's identity. If it was the serial killer who was typing, she could anger them and force them into revealing their identity.

She_ can't be underestimated. She's been responsible for the deaths of nearly one hundred people. She only sees it as a game. I knew her personally, for a while, when she was sane. However, she a crazed spree serial killer, she's merciless and heartless and will not abide to any negotiations offered to her. _Anna then growls in frustration, her attempt to trick Y didn't work. Y isn't afraid of Anna, and Anna isn't afraid of Y. It will be difficult to talk to Y if they just relay as a messenger.

_She has threatened to kill any country that stands in her way by threatening to assassinate their political leaders if they try to search for her. No one knows if she is female, other than you and any other person you tell. But she will find and she will kill you, E._ Anna then sits back, her eyes faintly shrouded with fear.  
>But she prevails and doesn't flee. <em>So, it's best if you inform L, as he is a master at evading Death's scythe. Is he not?<em>

_Y, tell your serial killer this. I am E. I'm not to be intimidated by death and I don't appreciate anyone that tries to. That is all regarding her. Now, Y. Allow me, so human being to human being. We're not going to able to speak to each-other like this. I suggest we stop playing games. _Anna then watches and waits, the fear in her eyes has faded. She's not afraid of this serial killer's threats anymore.

_E, I'll admit that you are a good player at this game. Alright, if you insist. My name is Yarrow. I will not say where I'm located or why I know the serial killer. That is all I will tell you. I understand you are not afraid but you should be. We will speak again when the time suits me. Farewell. _The window closes and Anna then turns around to face me.

"Now, what do we do?" Anna gazes at me, it appears our crime informant has slipped through our fingers. No matter, it won't be difficult to locate him.

_L's POV ends_


	8. Chapter Seven

**AN: ****Hi, this is Slushy, I'm back from my holiday!  
>First I'll start off with my shout-out to my lovely reviewer, Una Feltheart!<br>****Una Feltheart: ****Haha, I had wondered where you'd gone off too!  
>Yes, I agree, Anna probably is a major lightweight (teehee!)<br>And awwwww, thank you so much! And yes, Chapter Five, it was one of my favorite chapters to write.  
>I liked writing a different side of Anna. And haha, the candy outfit! Oh yes, Jeffree Star! ;p<br>Onyx is one of my favorite characters because it's fun to write her POV, especially from a non-human's point of view.  
>Finally, thank you for wishing me a great holiday! It was a awesome holiday, the beach was lovely!<strong>

**So, mon amis, I will commence with the writing! ;p**  
><strong>I present to you, Chapter Seven<strong>

**EDIT (21/12/12): Hey, fixed up some minor errors here.**

**Chapter Seven**

**ANNA'S POV**

It's two o'clock in the morning, I feel tired but I can't sleep. Onyx has nested herself on my spare pillow. I glance back at the clock. It's still two in the morning. I then throw my pillow at the wall, frustrated. Why can't I sleep? Onyx barely stirs, shifting occasionally in her sleep. I then push myself up, I might as well give up trying to sleep. I open my door and go down the hallway, everyone's still working. Mr. Wammy insisted that I should rest for the night but that idea failed spectacularly. I walked into the office, I might as well do something useful.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Nicholas asks me, he's predominately occupied with searching for Yarrow, everyone's looking for him now. They plan to arrest him and interrogate him for information. We think that he was the lover described in the sonnet so he's an important player in this game of high stakes and fatal consequences. I shrug and move to my workstation. L is studying photos from the crime scenes and Mr. Wammy's assisting him.

"Can I have a coffee please?" I ask Nicholas nonchalantly, he has a spare cup of coffee beside him. He gazes at me disapprovingly, he's obviously thinking that I should be asleep at this time of night, or rather day. He passes me the cup reluctantly and I accept it, sipping it carefully. It's scalding hot and I nearly burn my tongue. I skull the whole cup down and gently set the empty cup beside me. I barely feel the burning in my mouth. I don't want to sleep anyway, every time I do, these memories from my hell of twelve years come rushing back.

"I've found Yarrow." L mutters, he focuses on the laptop screen. "Anna, I'm going to send you to Heathrow airport, he's trying to get out of the country. According to his credit card records, to Paris. He's going to go to Paris at nine o'clock this evening. We have three hours. You need to get there before he does. You're going to hijack the security system and tell us of his location while Nicholas and Robert capture Yarrow. It's important he doesn't reach the plane." L instructs me, giving me his full attention. I nod uncertainly, chewing my lip thoughtfully. I haven't hijacked a security system for a while, I'm going to have to remember what I learnt. I am Esme, a reputed hacker in the hacker community, I can do this.

"Yes sir," Nicholas replies, switching off his laptop and leaving his workstation. L then gets up himself, I assume that we're going to fly to London and then drive to Heathrow Airport. Nicholas then glances at me thoughtfully, pondering something. He gives me a transmitter and an earpiece. "Listen, L's the boss so we're going to do exactly what he tells us. I assume he's going to give us the full elaborated plan later. But anyway, you're going to be our guide. So, it's best to communicate that way, yeah?" He says casually. I give him a thumbs up and then looks down. I'm in pajamas. Oh man. "And... Errrr... It's best if you change out of your pajamas, darling." Nicholas says calmly. I nod, Nicholas is like my second father.

I wonder if my father is worried, why I didn't show up to the airport. I cringe. Bloody hell, I'm an awful daughter.

* * *

><p>Heathrow is just as busy as I thought it would be. I've managed to hijack the security system fine and I've found a isolated place to keep watch. The cameras are difficult to search through on this laptop screen but it'll have to do for now. I'll go to the security room later. There's a guard at the door and I'm waiting for his shift to end. Apparently it ends in five minutes and I can sneak through and get in. But I'll have to deal with the person in there. I don't have a badge or any real authority so I'll have to knock him out or something along those lines.<p>

I keep a keen eye on the laptop screen, watching intently for any signs of Yarrow. I've seen a photo of him, he's very young, perhaps slightly older than L. Twenty five apparently. He's very tall, a blond with blue eyes. I've always been envious of Saorise's eyes, they're hazel eyes. I've really only had green, my Dad's eyes and I haven't really had anyone compliment them. I'd kill for Saorise's eyes. Apparently, my eyes easily give away my emotions and I'll never have a poker face.

Then Nicholas speaks to me through the transmitter, _"Is he there yet?"_ I glance at the cameras and shake my head. Then there's my blonde moment when I remember that people can't hear you shaking your head. _"Hello? Anna?"_

"No, not yet. I'll let you know. Keep looking, Nick. Over." I reply coolly, I'm secretly squirming with excitement. This is so exhilarating, I'm actually in a police bust, searching for someone! I suddenly feel so significant and important, like I'm actually doing something useful. Then, I see my father. What is he doing here? "Hey, Nick, my dad's there." I zoom in and see the camera. It's really my father. My father as I remember, is tall, he's got sandy blond hair and emerald eyes.

_"What?_" Nicholas answers abruptly, but I hardly hear him. _"Where? Where did you see your dad?"_ I gaze at my father, and I shake my head sadly. Oh God, I feel so terrible that I wasn't there when he came to the airport to pick me up.

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV<strong>

"_What?_" Nicholas asks, I'm on the radio line, keeping track of the bust. Yarrow may not talk but we can make him. _"Where? Where did you see your dad?"_ Anna doesn't reply for a while, she's unusually quiet. I've hijacked Anna's laptop, without her awareness. I can see the cameras on my own screen in case Anna goes out of focus. So far, there's no sign of Yarrow. I have found him because he left traces of his IP address on that computer and I found him. He lived here in West London however, I didn't find much information on him. He is an elusive character.

_"Yes, it's definitely my dad."_ Anna answers, exhaling sorrowfully. Then there's a gasp. _"Oi! It's Yarrow! There!"_ Anna exclaims, pointing on the screen. I turn around and search the cameras for any signs of Yarrow. He's in Terminal 5. "_Terminal Five. Go, go, go!_" Anna gabbles quickly, I then smile slightly. Anna's very useful, she's not only a skilled hacker but she's smart and has a good eye with guns. I glance at one of the cameras and see a man who stands out from the crowd. Sandy blond hair, very tall, green eyes. Then I look closer. Anna has eyes almost identical to his, her eyes are a more deeper, emotional emerald green. But if this is Anna's father, what on Earth is he doing here?

I glance at the Terminal 5 camera, Yarrow's at a currency converting station, he probably intended to stay in Paris for quite a while. Nicholas then appears to his left and Robert at his right. Yarrow notices, continuing to talk to the converter casually. _"Yes, thank you very much." _Then suddenly, he bolts. Nicholas chases him down and then corners him pinning him down, Yarrow struggles uselessly as he's handcuffed. Nicholas calmly states something inaudible, probably explaining why he's being arrested. His transmitter have been turned off. Strange. Then it hits me. This is a set up. Yarrow's set up interference to mess with the transmitters.

But Yarrow does something unexpected. In one of his handcuffed hands, he's managed to get a hold of a gun concealed in his back pocket. He shoots Nicholas high in the chest. Nicholas' eyes widen in shock and he flumps to the ground. Surrounding people scream and flee, the sound of a gunshot has caused widespread hysteria. Then Anna appears out of nowhere, her father is close by, holding her laptop. He's looking rather confused, not knowing what on Earth is going on.

Anna then approaches Yarrow, who he cocks the gun at. Anna then halts and speaks to Yarrow. _"Yarrow, listen, please put the gun down. Violence never solves anything." _Yarrow's poised to pull the trigger and Anna continues speaking to him. _"Yarrow, we're not going to hurt you. Calm down." _MacDonald is occupied helping his partner, plugging the gunshot wound. It's not serious as far as I can see. Yarrow's not a good shot, he grazed the shoulder and cauterized the wound. Anna then seeing that Yarrow's not going to surrender. She calls to MacDonald. _"Gun, please!" _Robert passes her a rifle and she catches it in her hands, stumbling a few steps back before steadying her feet and cocking the gun. _"Put the gun down, Yarrow."_

Yarrow knows he's outmatched. Yarrow puts the gun down and kneels, hands on his head. He proceeds to lie down face-down on the ground. It appears that we've captured Yarrow successfully. Now, we will have to interrogate him.

_L's POV ends_


	9. Chapter Eight

**AN: Hi, I'm back! Unfortunately, my holidays are over which means that I have to go back and forth writing schoolwork and so on. This basically means I'll be updating less often, but I'm still alive! I'll update every weekend also. I'll try to keep AotAT and this story alive so don't worry. I'll be updating weekly.**

**And my internet flicked out a few days ago and just came back, much to my annoyance. But here's the update!**

**Secondly, thank you Una Feltheart for reviewing again!  
>Oh gosh, I love writing action! It's so enthralling and packing action into fanfictions makes it all the more entertaining :)<br>Don't worry, I'm not planning on killing Nick... Maybe. He's an important character so if he does wind up dying, it won't be for quite a while.  
>Thank you! I did have a great time, I really needed a holiday. But the schoolwork now isn't very pleasant to bulldoze through :(<br>And finally, thank you for the compliment! It's great to hear that my stories are appreciated, and I concur. Mary Sues and poorly written stories litter Fanfiction and it's a little bit tragic to see that. I hope that authors can get better with experience and also cut down on the Mary Sueish characters. They're becoming very irritating.**

**So thank you again for your brilliant feedback Una ;3**

**Tomorrow I'm posting a Valentine's Day Special for all my fanfictions ~**  
><strong>So, keep a look-out ;3<strong>

**Enjoy my lovelies and review cookies are much loved and needed *om nom nom* And of course, speaking of cookies... FREE COOKIES TO EVERYONE THAT REVIEWS ~**

**EDIT (21/12/12): Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ~ Edits were done here, just like with the other chapters. Also, I added more goodness. :)**

**Chapter Eight**

**ANNA'S POV**

I glance at the cameras, Yarrow's been secured to the table. His ankles are cuffed to the chair so he can't pull a desperado escape. Nicholas is in there questioning him, he's wearing a t-shirt and there's gauze wrapping visible on his bicep and the base of his neck. He was treated here at the safehouse. His gunshot wound isn't serious but I sympathize with him. Gunshot wounds are a real drag to deal with and the pain is unimaginable. I can't hear anything because L has the headphones. My father was given lodgings in a nearby hotel, I've already spoken to him.

_Flashback_

_"Anna, it's been a while." My father speaks softly in Greek, he holds my hands in his and he gazes at me. My hands are small compared to his, petite and delicate. His hands are large and muscular, how an astronomer has such muscular hands is beyond me. "My darling Andromeda." He says gently, squeezing my hands. My real name. I hate my name, my maternal grandmother Callista Pilalis was Greek. My father wanted to give me a Greek name in her memory. She passed away from pancreatic cancer when I was two._

_"Dad. I'm sorry, but I can't go back to London with you." I reply softly in the same language. I learned Greek from textbooks, my father and my grandfather. My father's face falls with despair and disheartenment. I gaze into my father's eyes, silently apologizing. But I can't go back on a promise now. I promised two people I would help them until the very end. I'm deeply sorry to decline my father but it must be done. "I'm sorry, Dad." I apologize gently. My father smiles sadly and fondly touches my cheek._

_"Call me Alex. As well as being your dad, I want to be your friend. And it's alright, I understand. L has already spoken to me, you just finish your job. Then you can think about where you want to go. And I'll be waiting in London when you make your final decision." My father replies, a reassuring smile on his face. Tears rim my eyelashes and I smile back in gratitude. My father is so kind, holding the door for me patiently. "You know, I chose your name perfectly. She who has bravery in her mind. Ruler of men." My father replies softly. My father then releases my hands and exits out of the room. "Goodbye." _

_Flashback Ends_

I gaze at the cameras, Yarrow appears to be refusing to speak. L hands me a spare pair of headphones. So, what wasn't I allowed to hear? "You need to hear this." He murmurs and I put on the headphones. Yarrow chuckles coldly and Nicholas' mouth settles into a hard line.

"I want the US consulate." Yarrow demands, seemingly adamant to talk. Nicholas shakes his head in disagreement. Yarrow is the possible relative of the serial killer and is witholding important information. Not even a consulate from his origin country can help him now. "I'm pleading the Fifth Amendment." Yarrow snips and Nicholas exhales in frustration.

"This isn't how it works here. You are witholding information regarding a chain of murders. You my friend, have no choice in the matter. I'll leave you to think about it." Nicholas replies candidly. Nicholas then leaves the room, the metal door closes behind him with a faint slam. Yarrow chuckles to himself quietly. "Bloody hell! I've been speaking to him for hours and he hasn't said a damn word regarding the case!" Nicholas cries out in frustration, striding into the room. Nicholas snatches a empty coffee mug from his desk and sits down at his desk. "Damn you, Yarrow." Nicholas mutters angrily.

"I want to speak to E then L." Yarrow requests coolly, glancing up at the camera. "Hey c'mon, I'm waiting here." Yarrow admonishes. L and Nicholas gaze at me expectantly and I moan in protest. I don't want to talk to Yarrow, I'm not an interrogation expert... I'm just a tech junkie, I know nothing of interrogation.

"Go ahead, Anna. You'll do just fine." L says coolly, sipping from his coffee. Yeah right. I sigh and get up off my chair and stride towards the doorway, my mind plagued with curses towards Yarrow. Damn it, I don't know a thing about interrogation! I tap my fingernails against the doorjamb, pondering. Yarrow, Yarrow, Yarrow, all I can think about.

This isn't going to be even remotely easy. "Ugh." I mumble before I force myself to go down the hallway into the cell chamber Yarrow is imprisoned in. I open the door warily and Yarrow perks up and glances in my direction.

"I assume you are E. Please, sit." Yarrow says haughtily. Who the hell does he think he is? I reluctantly sit, I don't want to be here but neither does Yarrow. "You look like someone I know." Yarrow murmurs under his breath, and I sit in front of him. My eyes search for answers in his eyes. His eyes are a very intense cobalt colouration, and I find no answers there. His straw blond hair frames his gaunt face, Yarrow's very thin in stature. His emaciated state makes him resemble a ghost and his pallid skin emphasises that. "Alexander Winter… That's who you resemble." Yarrow whispers tauntingly across to me. My heart stops when I hear my father's name.

"Who the hell are you?" I snarl aggressively. Yarrow's lips are pulled into a smug grin. He's taunting me, deliberately hiding information from me to rile me up and make me his plaything.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Yarrow's whisper is provocative and it sets me on edge. His voice is daunting and his stare is intense and ominous. "Well, I suppose you have the right to know. Your father is an close colleague of mine. And I mean _very_ close." Yarrow says casually, leaning back. I glance up at the camera, begging L silently to let me out. I don't want to be here, my mind is being poisoned by this man's lies.

"Yarrow, I'm not going to play this game with you." I reply somberly, I'm not going to let him control me. Yarrow cocks an eyebrow and chuckles coldly. "I mean it. I know things about you too." I reply firmly, glaring into his eyes. Two can play this game. Yarrow's expression changes adruptly from amusement to displeasure.

"Do you now? Well, by all means, tell." Yarrow challenges me, and I glance right back at him. Challenge accepted. "You disappoint me, E. You don't play by the rules!" Yarrow howls, slamming his fist onto the table. There's a resounding metallic bang echoing through the room and I cringe at the sound.

"That may be so, but this is _not _a game. Yarrow, I know for a fact that sonnet was written about you. Tell me, who is the composer of that poem?" I ask calmly, glancing at him. Yarrow remains silent, the ghost of a taunting smirk remains on his face.

"If you really want to know… Well, fine. I guess I'll tell you a bit more. I believe that my ex-fiancé Teagan Redston is the perpetrator of the crimes." Yarrow replies. Teagan Redston? I gaze into Yarrow's eyes, searching for more answers. "I have possession of a footage tape recording her placing the body of one of her victims in a football stadium." Yarrow protests. That's a lie. The serial killer of these murders was told to be a neat worker, leaving behind no traces. Using different killing weapons each time and sometimes different methods. He's scapegoating his girlfriend and covering someone else's ass.

"Why were you flying to Paris last night?" I ask quietly, pretending to believe the lie about the footage. Yarrow then glances at me, and then turns away from me. His eyes become transfixed to the left wall. "Yarrow." I demand his attention. Yarrow exhales deeply and then turns his attentions back to me. "Why were you going to Paris?" I ask forcefully, getting impatient with him.

"I was meeting with your father. I was going to hide in Paris with Alexander." Yarrow replies calmly. But why my father? What has he got to do with this? "Alexander has a house in Paris and he said that I could lie low there and then I could stay in his house in Bordeaux and then to Angoulême." Yarrow answers softly. I stare at Yarrow, dumbstruck. How on Earth did my father get mixed up into this?

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV<strong>

Anna gazes at Yarrow, tears filling her eyes. It hit her hard to hear her father was involved in this - I had chosen not to tell her because her father had objected against it. When we had spoke, he had confessed that he was meeting Yarrow. He also said he had interfered with the transmitters.I had Alexander placed as a perpetrator in a crime, and I have him kept in a holding cell. I was going to tell Anna at some point but now wasn't a good time. Yarrow completely blew my cover. Alexander knew very little. Unless, Alexander is a better liar than I thought.  
><em><br>"Sweetheart, you don't have a clue, do you?"_ Yarrow says in a fake sweet tone, looking vaguely surprised. Anna stares at him, astounded. I regret sending her in there, but frankly, I wasn't interested in talking to Yarrow. He's a liar and he's still lying. He's mocking her, and he's mocking me. And I don't like it.

_"Look, Yarrow, I'm not interested in looking into my past. That's history and I don't want to look back on it. What I want to hear is how you know Alexander Winter, a simple astronomer?" _Anna replies calmly, dismissing his mockery. Anna gets up and walks around the table, carefully watched by the guard outside the door. Yarrow may be cuffed to the chair, but I don't know what he's capable of. I don't want Anna to get hurt by someone of the likes of him.

_ "Oh dear. Well, I have to stay, what is a little girl like you doing in this game? And no, I'm not telling you a damn thing."_Yarrow replies jeeringly. Yarrow has a brutally cold smirk plastered on his face; Anna places her head in her hands. Nicholas gazes at the screen and then turns away, not wanting to see anymore.

_"Yarrow. I don't have time for any of your mind games. I'd love to play some other time – but I have work to do." _Anna replies coldly, her tone is calm, she's not shaken up. Yarrow glances up and her and snorts haughtily.

"Well, dear, I'm afraid that I want to play now. So, you'll have to make time for this game. Alexander Winter is involved, and he's involved pretty darn deep."

Yarrow says flippantly, he's trying to get to Anna to get to me. Anna grits her teeth, and glances at the door. Her shoulders tremble, and she shivers.

"Whatever, Yarrow. We're not here to talk about me."

Anna replies nonchalantly, sitting back down and facing off with him again.

"So, yeah, Anna, you can go ahead and hold up head high, but you'll know that your daddy's hands are dirty with blood."

Yarrow replies abruptly. I wasn't expecting him to talk that trash again. Yarrow laughs frostily. Anna stands up suddenly. Her chair topples over to the floor with a crash and she storms out of the cell, slamming the door behind her. _"Oh that poor dear. Girls like that are too fragile. They'll shatter so easily. Well, she was too weak-minded. Dear Valentine will get her for sure if she isn't careful."_

"Yarrow." I speak through the voice distortion, now fed up with Yarrow's arrogance. "If you aren't going to co-operate with my associates, then fine, I will talk to you." I say calmly, facing the screen. Yarrow won't shake me. Yarrow glances towards the camera and smirks.

_"So, this is the infamous L? The one that can evade Death with his electronic voice and his meat shields." _Yarrow says dryly. _"Okay, I'll talk to you. But for future reference, I wish to talk to the girl again. She's indeed pretty. You have good taste. Is she your girlfriend? I'm jealous." _Yarrow says smoothly, glancing up at the . I sigh, this guy is so annoying. I don't credit it with a response. Yarrow rolls his eyes at me and Nicholas glances at me.

I sigh and Nicholas paces back and forth in the room, he looks troubled. "I better go find Anna." I mutter, getting up off the chair, Nicholas nods and watches Yarrow in my place. Anna's still recovering from her near-death experience and I need to watch her closely. Anna is perfectly capable of looking after herself but I don't trust her to.

My first thoughts are that she would be in her room, to retreat and hide herself away in her small sanctuary. I knock on the door, and see that the door is slightly ajar. Hrm. The room shows no signs of her being here. She must be in the grounds somewhere. I exhale exasperatedly, I used to stay in this house when I was a young child. I chose it as my main headquarters because it was close to Manchester and it was in a very discreet location. We will shift locations every few days to other headquarters but Anna will stay here, it will be safe for her.

I go down the hallway down to the doors to the grounds and walk out. It is near the end of autumn so the air outside is cold and flooded with browning leaves. Soon, it would be October. I was born in October. I pace through the brick pathways and I see Onyx in the forked branch of a magnolia tree. But Anna is nowhere to be seen. Onyx peers down at me, watching me closely. Then I hear a splash, it sounds like it's not too far away. It must be the pond. I wander off into the direction of this pond and see Anna at the bank, skipping pebbles. She has a pebble the size of her palm gripped tightly in her hands, poised to throw.

She throws it and it skips – one, two, three four, five, six times before it sinks underneath the surface of the pond. "Stupid Yarrow! Stupid Teagan! Stupid everything!" Anna yells piercingly in frustration, picking up a rock and flinging it as far as she could. There's a loud splash as the rock collided with water. Anna then tumbles to her knees in a heap and begins to cry.

Anna nestles herself in the base of a willow tree beside the pond, she's no longer crying but she's hiding herself away from the world. I approach her slowly, Anna glances in my direction. "Anna, are you alright?" I ask gently. Yarrow really got to her. I should've never let her near him. Anna nods slightly but I don't believe her, she's lying. Even I can see that what Yarrow said shattered her.

"Everything suddenly doesn't make sense. I was so stupid to trust him again. I can't put all the pieces together – why is everything so damn complicated now?" Anna says quietly, tears forming in her eyes. She roughly wipes them away, she's mad at herself. I sit beside Anna, who curls closer to me. Maybe because of the sudden chill in the air.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you talk to him." I admit coolly, she shrugs it off. Anna then glances up at me, her eyes are apologetic.

"I'm sorry I ran away, but… I guess I'm not brave enough to take this in." Anna replies candidly. I glance at the pond, my chest aches a little bit. Suddenly, I feel terrible. Anna then places a gentle arm around my shoulder, trying to comfort me with a teary smile. "You worry me sometimes, L." Anna murmurs to herself. Anna glances in my direction then her hands curl around my shoulders, then down my chest, feeling around my ribcage. Her face falls when she notices she can see my ribcage. "L, you're so skinny. You're clothes easily deceived me." Anna admonishes, stunned. Well, I've always been thin. My eating habits have made that so. She grins slightly and I crack a small smile. "You eat all those sweets yet you're underweight, how is that so?" Anna asks herself quietly.

Suddenly, my arm curls around her waist and draw her in closer to me. It must've been a reflex of some sort because it certainly wasn't a conscious action of mine. Her torso is unusually thin, very emaciated and bony. Anna's almost like a human scarecrow. I can see the silhouettes of parts of her ribcage beneath the shirt she's wearing. The doctor did mention that Anna was badly emaciated due to malnutrition, being nearly thirty five pounds underweight. She's severely underweight, even lighter than me.

It daunts me that she hasn't gained very much weight and has dwindled into a bag of bones. "The answer lies in using your brain Anna. I've found that you burn calories by using your brain." I answer her earlier question. Anna glances at me, her eyes are skeptical. She raises an eyebrow and me and cracks a grin.

"I've never really had an in-depth conversation with someone like this before." Anna murmurs, glancing at the pond. There's a sudden chill in the air and Anna shivers, her shoulders quivering. Her breathing is slightly shuddered.

"Surely, you've had in-depth conversations with your friends? They know you so well." I inquire in disbelief. Surely, someone talks to her. Anna shakes her head. My hand brushes her shoulder, her skin is cold to my touch. I should take her back inside soon, Watari and Nicholas would get mad me if she gets sick.

"They know so much yet so little. That's the thing about me. I'm too secretive. That's why I don't inspire much talking," Anna sighs, chuckling in amusement, mocking herself. "I don't think anyone really knows me." Anna replies bitterly. Anna cracks a sad smile and gazes across the pond, her emerald eyes are sparkling with tears. "I can't really trust anyone. I'm so paranoid it's not even funny anymore." Anna replies quietly. Anna clasps her hands together, her arms are encircled around my shoulders. Her head rests on my shoulder and she exhales softly.

"Anna, can I take you back inside? I don't think it's wise to keep you outside in the cold." I reply gently, moving slightly. Anna seems reluctant to move, staring back over the water. I shake my head trying to concentrate. Anna seems to realise something is going on with me and she gets up slowly.

"Okay. Let's go then…" Anna replies slowly, glancing at me. I'm disoriented for a moment, blinking owlishly to set my thoughts straight. Anna takes my hand and pulls me up, springing me back into reality. Anna smiles slightly and heads back to the headquarters along the path, hands dug in her pockets to keep them warm. But it's not difficult to tell that she is still teeming with heartbreak over finding out of her father's involvement. She opens the door, swiftly striding down the hallway to her own quarters. She retreats to her room without a word and shuts the door behind her.

Nicholas walks down the hall, he notices the closed door. "I think it'd be wise to leave her alone for awhile. That poor girl, I never thought Alex would tangle himself into this great mess. While he lived there, we had been friends. When he left, everything turned for the worst for his family. It was the worst decision the man has ever made." Nicholas says quietly, watching the door. Nicholas chews his bottom lip thoughtfully, his face is blank of any emotion. "Alexander destroyed that family. And now, Anna is never going to forgive him for this on top of all that." Nicholas continues, clucking his tongue in disapproval. Nicholas takes his leave and goes outside, he's going to feed Onyx for Anna.

I stand outside the door for a moment and then return to the surevelliance room. There's no point in waiting, Anna's not going to be out of that room until tomorrow morning and she's not going to talk to anyone until then if we're lucky.

_L's POV ends_


	10. Valentine's Day Special

**AN: Hi, I'm back with The Serenade of winter Valentine's Day Special! Ooh la la, I just might get used to writing specials for holidays :D**

**Anyway, I just wrote drabble when I spent another day being alone on Valentine's day, so haha, enjoy!**

**EDIT (21/12/12): Hey, just did a few quick fixes here and there. I extended this by a ton, and I plan to put this on a cliffhanger and continue this in the near future. :)**

**Valentine's Day Special**

Anna sits crosslegged on the ground, not thinking about anything in particular. Except one thing. Valentine's Day, a day where the whole world is in love. Except her. And maybe others like her. Anna exhales dejectedly and stands up. Shuffling towards the door, she leaves the empty classroom and shuts it behind her with a click.

She walks down the hall into the main lunch area and everything is more chaotic than usual. Other students are talking and laughing amongst themselves, holding soft drinks or juice boxes and chatting about things like the weather, and of course... Who their Valentines are. Saorise and Pierre are at the heart of the chaos.

Pierre's devouring a sandwich of some sort, knowing Pierre, it's probably a turkey sandwich. Anna walks over, she already ate her lunch. Over an hour ago. "Afternoon, babycakes." Xavier greets Anna, bustling past her with a cup of lukewarm coffee cradled in his hands. Why is there such a fuss this morning? Anna wonders why she got out of bed this morning. What is going on? Anna sits down on her seat at the table.

Anna glances to her left, Pierre's still eating that sandwich. Anna leans against the table surface and groans. Anna hasn't eaten for at least an hour and hearing Pierre eating that sandwich is making the pang of hunger even worse. Saorise seems to notice and taps Anna's shoulder. Anna turns her head and sees an orange in Saorise's hand. Accepting it gratefully, she peels it in her hands, and begins to eat.

Just two more classes then she's back home, or rather, headquarters. But it's home to her all the same. Pierre and Xavier laugh and talk, Saorise gazes at Pierre longingly. Hm. Anna continues eating her orange, sighing sadly. Anna had been trying to get L's attention for quite a while and he's been completely oblivious to her attempts. "Anna, what do we have after lunch?" Saorise asks nonchalantly, taking a sip of juice.

"Chemistry and History." Anna replies quietly, contemplating on Valentine's Day. Or Forever Alone Day, named by some. Pierre chuckles and glances back and forth between Xavier and Saorise, chewing his lip. Anna doesn't have a clue what's going on with her friends but all of them are behaving strangely. Valentine's ay is the one day that messes everything up between friends.

"Hm. Well, Anna, if you want you can go home. I'll take notes for you." Saorise offers flippantly. Anna glances at Saorise, why on Earth did Saorise assume Anna wanted to go home? "Well, it's Valentine's Day, bub." Saorise says teasingly. Saorise winks and Anna blushes. Saorise's on to her. Damn.

"Errrrr... No, Mr. Wammy would be annoyed if I skipped class." Anna sighs dejectedly, twiddling her thumbs nervously. It's true that Mr. Wammy is expecting her to attend school. But just this one time wouldn't hurt - would it?

"Anna, darling, don't mind me butting in - but as long as you've been here, you've never been absent from school other than when you got shot... Seriously, take the day off, love. You need it." Xavier cuts bluntly in on the conversation, subtly egging Anna on to take a day off.

"Anna, seriously, you deserve a goddamned break. You've worked your arse off at school." Pierre interjects brashly, and now Anna's surrounded at all sides. All of her friends are telling her to skip school but her conscious is entirely against it. Bloody hell.

"I'll think about it. Does anyone have Skittles?"Anna replies with reluctance, redoing her tie. Xavier smiles and passes her a packet of Skittles. Anna rips open the packet and pours some Skittles into her hands.

"Well, Anna, that was a bribe." Saorise remarks, and Anna pauses. What? Her friends... They tricked her! "We got you, Anna-banana." Saorise teases, but she's just joking around, as friends do.

"Alright, fine. I'll call L and ask him if he can pick me up." Anna relents, knowing that her friends would pester her if she didn't relent. Anna honestly feels uncomfortable cutting class but then she reassures itself. Maybe she does need a mental break.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Wammy, thank you for picking me up. I've just not been... feeling well..." Anna mutters, trying to get away with a bad excuse. So, far, she's crashing and in the process of burning. Anna blinks, trying to clear her head. A pounding headache had struck and it's causing Anna a great deal of pain.<p>

"So, today is Valentine's Day, Anna. Did you have many admirers?" Mr. Wammy asks, dismissing her excuses. Anna is stumped by this question. She didn't get any romantic Valentines, just sweet ones from Xavier and Pierre. Everyone knows that Xavier and Pierre are serious.

"No, not many. However, I've been trying to get someone's attention, so far... Unsuccessful." Anna replies quietly, she's Mr. Wammy seems interested by Anna's statement. Who has Anna been going after? Then they arrive back to headquarters and Anna sighs in relief. It sucks that she had to get this headache on Valentine's Day.

"Well, I have a hunch of who it is, Anna." Mr. Waamy says, that all-knowing smile on his face. Anna can feel her heart leaping up into her throat. "I have a hunch that he's been trying to get your attention too. But more subtly than you." Mr. Wammy says nonchalantly. Anna smiles slightly, her headache's cleared up slightly. Thank God, she doesn't want to spend the rest of day in bed being ill. Anna's nervous about the fact Mr. Wammy's on to her - it didn't help put her mind at ease that her three friends were too.

Anna gets out of the car to rest for an hour or two, just to rid herself of this headache once and for all. She heads straight to bed, taking a shortcut through the grounds. Mr. Wammy exhales as he sees the girl go through the grounds.

He goes through the main entrance and sees L sitting on the couch. He's filled his teacup completely with sugar cubes. L glances in Mr. wammy's direction and nods. "You've returned, Watari. Where's Anna?" L asks coolly, spooning more sugarcubes into the overflowing teacup.

"She's gone to her private quarters to rest. If I'm not mistaken L, I believe you're enamored with Anna." Mr. Wammy replies flippantly. L chokes on a sugar cube. Where did that come from? "You know, I believe she returns those feelings." Mr. Wammy continues calmly, eyeing the teacup. He'd always disapproved of his eating habits, trying to remind him of the food triangle and a good diet. L would hear nothing of it. L swallows the sugar cube down and stares at Mr. Wammy.

"I see her as a colleague, I respect her. I like her but not in that way." L gabbed in denial, avoiding his gaze. Mr. Wammy can tell l is lying, he raised him and he could almost instantly tell that L denied it.

"Whatever you say, L. Hoho, kids these days..." Mr. Wammy jested. He leaves the room, smiling all-knowingly. The plot thickens.

* * *

><p>"Anna?" Yarrow asks quietly. Yarrow glances at the girl sitting between L and Saorise, chatting quietly to Saorise. Yes, Anna's friends showed up after school two hours after Anna came home, saying they had nowhere else to go. L couldn't boot them out, despite all his efforts. So, he bribed them with food and then planned to get them out once they were full.<p>

"Hm?" Anna is half-listening, very absorbed in her conversations. She chews on her lip, glancing at Saorise who's warbling away about Pierre. Xavier casually joins in the conversation, and he is readily welcomed in. Saorise didn't seem to mind - they were probably gossiping or whatever. Anna hardly heard a word they were saying.

"Would you be my Valentine?" Yarrow asks, glancing down at the ground. Yarrow just thought that Anna would be an ideal Valentine. She's pretty cute, after all. So, why the hell not? That is, unless L stops trying to roadblock him.

"L, more Skittles, if you please." Anna turns her attentions to L, the one holding the Skittles. Anna taps L's shoulder to get his attention, L is sipping away at his sugar with tea. Anna sighs dejectedly, and waits impatiently for L to finish his tea.

"Anna! Answer meeeeee!" Yarrow demands, snapping Anna out of her Skittle-induced daydream. Anna blinks owlishly, trying to clear her head. She has never spaced out this bad before.

"Oh, sorry, what did you ask me, Yarrow? I didn't quite catch that?" Anna stammers awkwardly, her attention trained back on Yarrow. Anna curses herself inwardly, what did he ask? It's hard to pay attention to all the conversations around her. It's giving her a headache. She'll be sure to keep concentrated on one conversation at a time.

"Would you-" Yarrow is cut off by L who hands over the bucket of Skittles. It had been Saorise's idea to fill a bucket of Skittles up, similar to a bucket of popcorn. Except more sugary than buttery and salty. L glances at Yarrow, and then turns back to Anna.

"Anna, would you like to be-" L is interrupted by Yarrow who is glaring resentfully in L's direction and holding up a hand. L glares at the hand. Anna pauses, flicking her gaze between Yarrow and L who were now facing off with aggressive glares.

"Back off, L. Quit interrupting me." Yarrow snarls, L is now oblivious to Yarrow's possessiveness, let alone his threats. L shrugs absently, and turns away. Anna accepts the bucket of Skittles, and starts devouring them. She looks like the Cookie Monster who's just been locked in a room full and made entirely of cookies.

"Whoa. Possessive, much?" Xavier interjects, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head disapprovingly at Yarrow. Xavier puts a hand on his hips, a questioning brow in Yarrow's direction. Xavier, truthfully, was getting sick of Yarrow and he'd only known him for five minutes. He had a terrible personality and his good looks simply didn't make up for it.

"I concur. Yarrow, you are being too possessive. Anna is her own woman, let her be." L replies, glancing in Yarrow's direction. Yarrow is now surrounded at all sides by Xavier, Pierre and L. Charming. It's just lovely when you have three guys ganging up on you in conversation.

"You're one to talk." Yarrow retorts haughtily, huffing enviously and crossing his arms. The three glance at eachother, and then laugh. They're seriously laughing at Yarrow. Xavier chuckles, stealing a side glance at Yarrow. He can't be serious. Pierre appeared to share the thought. The three stopped laughing, once they realized Yarrow was indeed serious.

"I'm not involving myself in an argument with the likes of you." L replies, rolling his eyes. Honestly, this was a petty argument. L took a handful of Skittles from the bucket, Anna had gone nuts over them. L asks herself if she has an addiction that is starting to rival his.

"Whatever. As if you'd win the argument." Yarrow retorts, a smug smirk plastered on his face. The three stared at Yarrow, stunned. Pierre was literally stunned by the fact that Yarrow was getting so full of himself, it made Pierre sick to his stomach.

"I'm not going to justify that with an answer." L replies nonchalantly, returning his attentions to the Skittles. Anna seems too preoccupied to pay attention to their argument, and it's probably for the best she's not bearing witness to it.

* * *

><p>"So, Anna, who's your Valentine?" Saorise teases, giggling coquettishly. Anna stares at her blankly, looking a bit baffled by her question.<p>

"I haven't got one." Anna replies, picking out a blue Skittle from the bucket. She begins twisting it between her index finger and thumb thoughtfully. Truthfully, Anna hadn't thought of it. Of course, she had kept her eye on someone but they didn't seem even slightly interested. That had blown her hopes to microscopic bits.

"Well, don't just sit here! Go find one, hon! Don't spend today, of all days, alone!" Saorise pushes her friend up forcefully, but Anna sits back down. Saorise glances at her, trying to encourage her friend to go find her Valentine. Saorise had received a few offers, but she had declined them. She only wanted one, and he was permanently out of reach.

"No way, I know I'm just going to be… _rejected._" Anna sighs, covering her face with her hands. It's true. Anna is socially awkward, shy and simply terrible at making conversation. Those three are enough to bulldoze any hopes of asking anyone, so she's kept quiet.

"Don't you dare say the R-word on Valentine's Day! It's taboo!" Saorise wags a finger disapprovingly to her friend, clucking her tongue. Saorise refused to see her friend give up. Saorise would not allow her to be alone - no matter what.

"Oh come on Saorise. We both know it's true." Anna interjects. She pouts and looks away. Saorise glances at Anna, simply stunned. Who on Earth would reject Anna? She's simply adorable.

L perches beside Anna, pretending to not be listening to their conversation. "Oi, L, move it!" Yarrow hisses, pushing L off the chair to listen in. Both scrabble to fight for the chair, a push and shove war ensues in the background. Saorise and Anna remain entirely oblivious to it.

"That's a total lie. You have aficionados, don't worry!" Saorise says, laughing nervously. She rubs the back of her head sheepishly, she actually doesn't know if Anna has any admirers, but she needs to reassure her somehow. Saorise had to bring her friend some sort of closure. What kind of friend would Saorise be if she didn't know something to say?

"Oh, really? Who are my so-called aficionados?" Anna asks skeptically, arching an eyebrow. She crosses her arms, challenging Saorise to answer her question. Saorise pauses, stumped. What to tell her?

"Errrrr, well, there's Yarrow. He's blatantly obvious with his advances." Saorise deadpans. She twiddles her thumbs. Yarrow isn't exactly the most charming man, he's rude, obnoxious and immature. Some idea that was. Yarrow and Anna would be a disaster.

"First off, Yarrow is a total ass. Secondly, he has a girlfriend. If he's attempting to go after me, then I'd be an idiot to accept. I don't want to be the 'other girl' in some ménage a trois. It's cruel..." Anna protests, placing another hand in the Skittle bucket. Saorise shrugs. She has a point, or several.

"I think L's interested, but he's not acting it out very openly. It's hard to tell." Saorise replies quietly, making random suggestions, blissfully unaware that those two are eavesdropping. L and Yarrow are silent, listening to their conversation.

"I'm way out of his league, Saorise." Anna replies sadly, examining the blue Skittle again, then sighing dejectedly. Anna's not fond of Valentine's Day, a lot of people at the end of the day usually have unreturned feelings and broken hearts.

"Ha! She's in my league! I'm afraid you're going to lose this little mêlée, dear L." Yarrow mocks coldly, L rolls his eyes. Yarrow is a pain in the ass. L sighs quietly, perching beside Pierre.

"Well, wouldn't that make you unfaithful to your current girlfriend, Yarrow?" L points out, he's taking his time building up his arguments. Yarrow is stunned for a moment, unable to form a reply.

"Well, at least I'm not forever alone. I have a girlfriend, unlike you." Yarrow hisses back, L ignores him. Pfffft. Pathetic comeback. But then again, isn't that Yarrow's specialty? L knows he is just too hot to handle.

"Saorise, can you do me a favour?" L interrupts their conversation, earning Saorise's undivided attention. "Can you please make Yarrow shut up now?" L asks irritably. He's had enough of hearing Yarrow's voice. L jerks his thumb in Yarrow's direction. Now, it's time to deal with this thorn in L's side once and for all. If this doesn't work, L will have to take desperate measures.

"Certainly." Saorise replies flippantly. Saorise turns to Yarrow, gazing at him threateningly. "Shut up or there will be hell to pay. You're giving me a headache." Saorise demands, her tone is perfectly calm but it has a threatening edge. All the more that makes her dangerous. Saorise turns around, flexing her fingers.

"Here's a strawberry for your troubles." L murmurs coolly, a small smile on his face. L passes a strawberry to Saorise, who accepts it gratefully. Anna is idly picking Skittles out of the bucket, pretending to ignore the chaos.

"Ah, you don't mean it Saorise. You're a softie." Yarrow replies jeeringly, nudging Saorise in the shoulder. Bad mistake. Saorise pauses. She turns around to face Yarrow again, her face perfectly calm but her eyes betray that.

"I do. Oh, and," Saorise says candidly, interrupting herself. Saorise gets up, falcon-punching Yarrow. L winces. That looked like a hard punch. "I warned you. Now please, with all due respect, shut up." Saorise demands hotly, the expression in her eyes scream danger. Saorise sighs, sitting back down. Yarrow glances away from her.

"Saorise?" L asks breezily, glancing at Saorise. Oh, silence is so sweet to L's ears. Well, there's murmuring in the background - a quiet tête-à-tête between Pierre and Xavier. Pierre laughs heartily in the background. Xavier just smiles and continues talking.

"Yeah, L?" Saorise finally replies, glancing in L's direction. She looks away briefly into Pierre's and sighs mournfully. It's so obvious that there's a complicated love triangle here. L chooses not to get involved in it - he's already in one of his own.

"Thanks." L says gratefully. His mind is somewhere else. Anna is sitting alone, continuing to eat Skittles out of the bucket. Yarrow is too busy fuming over his humiliation that Saorise falcon punched him.

"It's my pleasure, Yarrow is being an arrogant jerkwad." Saorise replies candidly, rolling her eyes at Yarrow's behavior. Yarrow turns around, glaring at the back of Saorise's head.

"You're one to talk, Kingsley." Yarrow retorted frostily. His glare focuses on L. L groans in exasperation. What now? "L, I propose a challenge." Yarrow announces out of the blue, catching the attention of everyone else. Xavier turns to stare at Yarrow. Pierre rolls his eyes in exasperation. Saorise is looking rather amused, glancing at Yarrow with one of her signature skeptical glances.

"What kind of challenge?" L replies flippantly, staring right back at Yarrow. Yarrow clearly has no idea who he's up against.

"Whoever of us can win Anna over gets kudos, respect, and Anna." Yarrow replies coolly, earning shocked stares from Xavier and Saorise. They're obviously displeased that Yarrow is treating Anna as a thing rather than a person. A muscle twitches in Pierre's jaw. He's resisting the urge to maul Yarrow. He is unbelievable.

"Anna shouldn't be distributed as a prize, she's a human being." L replies bluntly, chewing on one of his Skittles. Yarrow snorts mockingly, that smirk of his appearing on his face.

"So, are you turning tail and running like the coward you are? Not like you'd win anyway." Yarrow ridicules, laughing at L. Of course he'd walk away from something like this. It's so typical of him. The other three glance at L, silently encouraging him to accept the challenge and then beat Yarrow at his own game in the most humiliating manner.

"I wouldn't dream of running away. Challenge accepted, Farnsworth." L replies flippantly, popping another Skittle in his mouth. Yarrow's smirk widens in slight amusement. L and Yarrow exchange glances, silently mocking eachother.

The faces of the other three fall slightly. "Oh lord." They groan in unison. What the hell have they done?

_To be continued._


	11. Chapter Nine

**AN: Hey, I'm alive! I know it's been a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eally long time, so I want to make it up to you guys :D  
>I have made this chapter a little longer and I've added another POV ~<strong>

**Also, I've extended and fixed up some chapters so feel free to go back and read them, and I've introduced Teagan formally. Teagan is going to be a focus on the newest chapters. I've returned from my frustrations with inspiration: by watching a free crime dramas. CSI, yes but Damages, Spooks and Wire In The Blood are incredible. I adore those shows to pieces.**

**Anyway, enjoy Chapter Nine!**

**Chapter Nine**

**ONYX'S POV  
><strong>

The air is cool and the wind colder. Autumn's crisp breeze has finally arrived. Onyx perches on the adjacent branch of an oak tree, devouring torn pieces of a steak. Onyx can't help but wonder why Anna didn't feed her. Instead, a man came in her stead. Anna was notably upset, heading straight for the pond just before sundown hours ago. Onyx inhales a beakful of air, glancing down at the leaf-ridden ground far below. Hm. Autumn isn't a very favored season, it's cold, wet and drabby. But the apples are a ray of sunshine. The harvesting of apples. And of course, pumpkins. Onyx loves pumpkins, they were orange, plump and round. A nice treat any crow could ask for.

Of course, at the very end of the month, there would be Halloween. Onyx never understood the concept of Halloween. Children sauntering about in costumes for the sake of candy. Onyx didn't like sweet things. Sweets are remarkably easy to choke on and the added fact that some candies are poisonous to animals. Namely chocolate, that stuff is potent. Onyx remembers seeing a young crow consume some of that brown, gooey candy. Then he fell off his perch in a limp, feathered form lying in the dust below the very next day.

Anna seems quite fond of a particular kind of candy; she calls them "skittles". The crow garbled, she tears a piece of meat apart with her beak. But the scent of meat attracted unwanted guests for dinner. A badger snuffles around the base of the tree, it's nose following the irresistible waft of meat in the air. The crow poises, hesitant to move away. She's comfortable in her perch and the steak is heavy and big. She can't risk it. But she's certainly not sharing!

But it does look rather... Hungry. The crow pities the badger and gives up her steak without regret. Goodbye, dinner. The badger sniffs at the steak suspiciously and then begins to gobble it down on the spot. Onyx will go with a small meal tonight. Onyx takes flight, landing on Anna's windowsill. Onyx peeks into the obscurity, seeing a form curled in a blanket. Never mind. Anna's resting. Onyx leaves Anna alone, she needs to rest. Exhaling sorrowfully, she peers at the sleeping form, watching over her. If anyone wakes Anna up they're getting their eyes scratched out.

The crow sighs, she feels fatigued herself. She tucks her head underneath her wing, feeling too exhausted to return to her nest and sleep there.

_Onyx/third person POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>ANNA'S POV<strong>

I lie awake, staring at the lamp on the bedside table. Stupid Yarrow. Why did he have to say all those things? And my father. Why didn't he tell me anything about this? I feel so hurt and betrayed. And here I am, lying awake when I have school tomorrow. I'm going to fall asleep in class... I sigh and turn over, trying to fall asleep. I close my eyes but I'm finding it impossible to sleep. It's nearly two o'clock in the bloody morning and I don't feel tired at all.

Then I see my door opening slightly. I squint to catch a glimpse of who it is. It's Nicholas. "I noticed you weren't asleep. What's wrong, Anna?" Nicholas asks softly, leaning on the doorjamb. I open my mouth to reply but find myself muted. "Is it about Yarrow?" He asks quietly. I shake my head. "It's your dad, isn't it?" He asks carefully. I nod, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah." I reply quietly. I flick my eyes away from him, staring at the wall. Nicholas smiles reassuringly, tiptoeing over gently.

"Your father lied to you, and I sympathize with any feelings you have. I'd be miserable and angry if my father hid something like that from me and didn't tell me about it. But it's not okay to suffer a sleepless night because of it. You have school tomorrow - or rather, later today." Nicholas replies, turning to make me see reason. But I can't. I shake my head sadly, silently disagreeing with him.

It's true my father lied to me, but Nicholas isn't going to understand what I'm feeling. I was willing to forgive him for every day he wasn't there for me and when he abandoned us... But now, he's tangled up in a web of murders? That's too much to forgive. "Ummm... Well, honestly, if you want me to sleep, you'd have to knock me out. Believe me, I've tried." I reply, burying my face into the pillow. I can't sleep no matter how hard I try. My Math teacher throws chalk at anyone that falls asleep, and I don't want to be that target anytime soon.

"L is keeping you here from school tomorrow. He says that you won't be able to recover and work at school if you've been deprived of rest, so that's that. L's the boss so we have to do as he says, even if he's not much older than you." Nicholas replies nonchalantly, trying to cheer me up. Nicholas tries to reassure me, but nothing seems to heal this wounded feeling. Even having rest tomorrow will only make it worse.

"Yeah..." I reply quietly, glancing at the night stand. Why can't I focus on anything else? I need a distraction. I'll have to ask L to give me a workload tomorrow or at least something to get my mind off this.

"I'm sure your father had no idea what he was getting himself into." Nicholas says in protest. I shake my head, disagreeing. My father had been a careful man, though he may have changed in more than one way. Who is this man that had been my father?

"No, he knew alright. He knew, and he lied about it. I was willing to forgive him for abandoning me, but now, I can't even find it in me to ever forgive him now. Hell, I love my dad, but no way I can't forgive him now. I trusted him to be honest with me, and he betrayed me." I reply bitterly, trying to look away. Nicholas gazes at me, appearing to be slightly shocked by my words.

"Well, I don't you deserve to lose sleep over him." Nicholas says gently, remaining by the doorjamb. I glance sideways at him, blinking. I feel tired but I can't sleep, it's almost like torture.

"He left me in the care of a mentally unstable mother, and he was so careless. I was the cost of that mistake, and I've lived that way for nearly my whole life and I got used to that." I reply quietly, pulling the duvet over my shoulders. "I spent my time wondering if he'd come back, make everything better. But he never did, he finally did and offered me a new life, but I can't trust him now." I say softly, I hate my father right now. How could he do this?

I turn away, staring at the window. My heart is heavy like an anchor in my chest, weighing me down.

* * *

><p>I sat at the desk, my hands clasped together in front of me. It's eight o'clock in the evening, and I was working after another day. I had stayed in bed all day, and hadn't gotten any rest. I was blankly staring at the laptop screen before me, playing back the same question in my head <em>How the hell did this happen?<em>I sigh quietly, closing the laptop lid. Then, the phone on my desk rings. "Hello?" I answer calmly, holding the cellphone to my ear.

_"Am I speaking to Anna Winter?"_A woman voices asks quietly. She sounds stressed, worried and frightened. There's some background noise, footsteps and car horns. The woman's in a phonebox or she's walking and talking on a cellphone.

"Yes, that's me. What is this regarding?" I reply coolly, picking up my cup of coffee. I need caffeine to stay awake and to avoid the embarrassment of falling asleep on the job. "Hello? Are you there?" I ask gently, taking a sip of coffee.

_"My name is Teagan Redston. I saw my face on the news." _Teagan replied hesitantly. The cup almost falls out of my hand. I still spill scalding coffee all over my hands and shirt. I hiss in pain, setting the cup down. Well, that was some way to wake me up. I snatch a napkin off the table and mop myself up.

"Okay, Teagan. Talk to me, I'm listening." I answer calmly, wiping coffee off my hands. Ouch, that really hurt... Teagan called me, of all people. Seeking aid in her darkest hour? And how did she know my name?

_"Listen, I'm not him. I'm not the killer. But I know who is. Not his name, but I know him."_ Teagan says tersely, something's off about her. _"I need to go. Don't come looking for me."_Teagan says abruptly, then she hangs up. I'm left with a dial tone. I sit there, baffled. What just happened?

"L, I think Teagan Redston just called me. I'll go find her. She's sounds like she's in trouble. Can you please trace that call and get back to me?" I called across to L, looking at my lap. He immediately turned in his chair, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"At a phonebox outside the police station about ten minutes away." L answers quickly, it only took him a few seconds to come up with that... How the hell did he do that? Well, I guess he doesn't bear the name L for nothing.

I pick up my coat from the back of the chair and shrug it over my shoulders. I have to find her. I stride out the door and head towards the car. Nicholas and Robert tail me. I open the door and slide into the back seat. Nicholas takes over as driver, and Robert sits beside him in the passenger seat.

Nicholas ignites the engine and we drive out of the carpark, heading to the police station ten minutes away. The road zips past us, the trees and electric fencing all pass in a blur. Nicholas' eyes stay fixed on the road. "Nick, you shouldn't be driving with that shoulder. Let me drive." Robert protests but Nicholas dismisses him with a sideways glance.

"I'm fine, Rob. I've been in worse conditions, and driven just fine. Trust me." Nicholas replies tersely, he's driving the speed limit. Well, he is a cop, he is supposed to enforce the laws and abide by them to show a good example. The headlights lit the way for us, and rain spatters against the windshield. I hear thunder roaring wildly in the distance. There's a storm brewing.

_Anna's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>TEAGAN'S POV<strong>

The phone rings in the phonebox, calling to me. I stand outside it in the pouring rain, my hands shoved in my trench coat. I've been out here for nearly twenty minutes. What was I thinking? Oh God, he's going to kill me. Then he's going to kill Yarrow. I stare down at the ground, chewing my lip. I've just doomed my boyfriend and I to certain death. To the hands of the Bloody Valentine. What have I done?

I light a cigarette, puffing on it. I'm trying to keep warm, and smoking calms me down. Sometimes, I think better with a calmer mind. I exhale smoke, glancing out into the evening street. Anna, Alexander's daughter. I chuckle bitterly to myself. I hear footsteps coming down a dead street. I drop my cigarette, stamping out the embers with my heel.

I duck out of sight, and then turn my head to see who it is. Damn. It's two coppers. I stand there for a moment, contemplating. The phone keeps ringing, begging for me to pick up and answer. Anna is persistent. "To hell with it." I mutter angrily, stepping back into the phonebox and placing the receiver to my ear.

"Teagan, I've sent two officers to find you. We're taking you into protective custody." A man speaks, and I freeze up. I drop the phone, edging away to the glass wall. I burst out of the phonebox, running as fast as my stilettos can carry me. I'm not safe anywhere - not even in a cell. I hear the two officers tearing after me, that only presses me to run faster. I wasn't a champion track runner in high school for nothing, even in heels.

"Teagan, stop running! You're not under arrest." A voice calls out to me, trying to reassure me. But it's a total lie. All of it. Anna gets out of a car, she is the spitting image of him. His green eyes are staring at me - only they're different somehow. More intense, they're darker and more vibrant in colour. A lamppost dimly lights the street. I stop in place, I've been cornered.

I step backwards, desperately searching for an escape route. Suddenly, I'm tackled to the ground and my wrists are cuffs. I struggle on the pavement, trying to force my way out and flee to my apartment. I am pulled to my feet and I'm escorted to the car. I'm shoved into the back seat. Anna gets in after me. I go for the opposite door, and Anna reaches across and locks it. "Teagan, please. We're trying to protect you." Anna says gently, taking a hold of my arm.

I wrench myself away from her. "That's total bull. You just put me in cuffs for God's sake. Look, he's going to kill me, whether or not I'm in a cell." I answer candidly, trying to get past her. Anna sits in front of me, blocking my way out. "Look, Anna, it's cool you care but you can't protect me forever." I say sweetly, trying to talk my way out of trouble. I have to run and hide, he can keep chasing me across the globe but I'd always be a step ahead. But, do I want to live my life in fear?

"Teagan. I promise that you'll be safe. We can put you on protective detail, if you don't want to stay in safehouse." The driver says to me, he's probably a cop. I groan and bang my head on the seat. Why do they not understand me? He's killed politicians with trained bodyguards. He's even gotten to the most powerful drug lords. Nothing can get in his way.

"You don't get it. My life is entirely in jeopardy." I reply curtly, trying to squeeze my hands out of these handcuffs. I sit there and think for a moment. I surrender and leaning back into the seat. Yarrow Farnsworth, my boyfriend, was already in their hands. They'd find some way to get a hold of me, with or without a warrant.

The car then drives off into the suburbs, leaving behind my apartment. Why the hell I rented a place this close to a police station was beyond me, especially with my track record. But he insisted. Well, he threatened. But you can't ever say no to him - because you lose your life if you do. And by doing this, I had just said no. What am I doing?

_Teagan's POV ends_

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV<strong>

I sip on my coffee, contemplating. Did Yarrow really scapegoat his girlfriend, the one he was constantly blathering about and complimenting? More importantly, he did it to save a killer. That's a selfish risk, putting your girlfriend's life in jeopardy and literally throwing her to the dogs to save yourself. I sigh quietly, and watch Yarrow in his cell. He's sitting on his bunk, staring into space.

I open the manila folder on my desk. I glance down at the girl in the mugshot. Dark, fatigued grey eyes, pallid skin, deep bruise-like shadowing under her eyes, slightly freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, several ear piercings and black wavy hair. This was Teagan Redston, the alleged Bloody Valentine. She had been charged multiple for racketeering, smuggling, drug trafficking, possession and dealing and she was once a powerful drug baron with mafia affiliations. An impressive record, indeed. Teagan switched affiliations and became a criminal informant, fighting against the very crime syndicate she had formed.

I found it hard to actually believe Teagan Redston could be Bloody Valentine. She simply didn't fit the profile, and records serve as an alibi for most of the times of death for the victims. Yes, Yarrow did scapegoat his girlfriend and did he do that knowing who she really was? I tuck away her criminal record, and flick into her personal life.

Teagan Beaumont, born on Friday the 24th of May in 1974 to Sophie Beaumont in Bordeaux. No records of a father. She had a fairly average upbringing and a good school record... So, where did she go wrong? There's nothing between her graduation and the start of her criminal life, it's all missing. After her mother passed away from lung cancer, she changed her surname and moved to the US, where she eventually became a drug baron. I flick over the pages, searching for that missing link. I found nothing.

I sigh in exasperation and search for her records on my computer. There's absolutely nothing. There's no paper trail. Someone has sabotaged these records. I turn away from my computer and sip at my steadily cooling coffee. Where on Earth have those records gone? Everyone has a paper trail. But not Teagan. I decide to task Watari with the job to turn her life upside down and shake it all out. There has to be something.

Nicholas then strides in, escorting Teagan Redston into the hallway, and into the questioning room. I move over to the questioning room screen and observe the scene. Teagan looks terrified, but she's trying hard not to show it. A drug baron is quaking in her boots, or rather, her stilettos. "_Can I have some coffee, please?_" Teagan asks calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. She takes off her soaked trench coat and hangs it over the back of her chair.

Nicholas passes Teagan a styrofoam cup of coffee, and she accepts it. She sets it on the table in front of her and watches him. _"Teagan. Can you tell us about him?" _Nicholas asks, heading straight to it. Teagan hesitates, picking up the cup and skulling it down. She doesn't appear to care that it's scalding hot, as all our coffee is.

_"I can't. Ummm..." _Teagan replies tersely, chewing on her lip nervously. Teagan sits down on her chair, glancing at the table surface. _"Before you tell me that you've already said you'll protect me, we all know it's impossible. Look at his track record, he finds it effortlessly easy to kill heavily-guarded victims." _Teagan says candidly, leaning forward on her elbows.

_"Well, what can I do to put you at ease?" _Nicholas replies, remaining by the door. It appears Teagan came by choice, so she won't attempt to run away. Teagan is wearing handcuffs though. It must've taken a bit of effort to make her come to us quietly.

_"Fine. I'll talk. But understand me. It's your fault if I'm killed." _Teagan replies with reluctance, glancing at the camera. _"So, what do you want to know?"_ Teagan asks nonchalantly, kicking back in her chair.

_L's POV ends_


End file.
